In It Together
by Pink-Fire-Dragon
Summary: Natsu and Lucy, after only going out for 6 months, are about to have the adventure of a lifetime. This adventure will be harder than any mission they've ever had and any villain they've ever faced. What is this adventure you ask? Well, this mage couple is entering the wonderful world of parenting!
1. Chapter 1

**Natsu and Lucy, after only going out for 6 months, are about to have the adventure of a lifetime. This adventure will be harder than any mission they've ever had and any villain they've ever faced. What is this adventure you ask? Well, this mage couple is entering the wonderful world of parenting!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: In It Together**

It was a bright sunny morning on the day of reckoning. Lucy Heartfilia was pacing through her bedroom mumbling, groaning and every now and then, retching and holding her stomach in pain.

"Pun pun?" Plue called out to her from her bed. Lucy walked up to her bed and collapsed on her back.

"What do I do Plue? How do I tell him?

"Pun, pun pun?"

"yeah, I'm certain. The doctor said so." Lucy sighed

"Gosh, he's never gonna accept it! He's too much of a free spirit to settle like that! What am I supposed to do? I can't go through this alone! And gosh he's coming over tonight so I have to tell him! Why me?" Lucy sobbed while crunching herself into the fetal position.

Plue stood up on the bed and patted Lucy's head."Pun pun pun!" He said happily while doing a weird dance.

Lucy giggled at his actions."Thanks Plue! You're the best! You can go back now."

And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Ahh. I guess I'll relax and take a nap until he gets here. Gosh I hope I can do this." Lucy said before drifting off to her dreamland.

* * *

"Lucy, I'm still young. I can't throw my life away like this. I haven't even reached my full magical potential. I can't have something like this holding me back. You'll just have to deal with this on your own. Sorry. Look, I gotta go. I'll see you around the guild I guess." Natsu said before turning around and walking away.

"Natsu wait! Don't leave me! I can't do this alone! Natsu! Natsu!"

"Lucy! Lucy, wake up! Wake up!"

Lucy quickly jolted up and out of her nightmare. She was shaking and she could feel her tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Luce it's ok. It was just a dream" Lucy turned around to see Natsu kneeling next to her bed, holding her left hand with both of his.

"Natsu!" she screamed while launching herself onto his lap and swinging her arms around his neck.

"Promise right now not to leave me"

"Luce I-"

"promise me."

"I will never leave you Lucy Heartfilia, no matter what! I promise you that much."

"Thank you"

"No problem. Now what's got you acting so weird? Well, weirder than usual."

Lucy let out a sigh and took a few deep breaths before saying anything.

"Natsu... I'm pregnant"

Lucy could feel his body tense at her words. The room went silent for what felt like forever to Lucy.

"Natsu?" Lucy said nervously.

All of a sudden, Natsu's arms went around Lucy in a huge hug. "Luce this is awsome! We're gonna have a kid!"

Now it was Lucy's turn to freeze in place.

"This is great Lucy! Is this what you were worried about? I would never just leave you over that Luce! Even if I didn't want a kid, this is still my problem."

" I thought you would think that it would hold you back from getting stronger..." Lucy said without making eye contact.

"Are you kidding me? Training this kid to be a dragon slayer like me will probably make me stronger than ever!"

"Hey, who said they won't be a celestial Mage?" Lucy joked.

"Well, whatever path they choose, helping him or her will be awesome! Think about it! We're making the next generation of Fairy Tail! And I promise Luce, it will be me and you every step of the way!"

Lucy was absolutely beaming at his words. "Thank you so much Natsu! I love you!"

"I love you too, and our baby!"

* * *

For the rest of the night, Natsu bombarded Lucy with questions like "how far along are you?" and "when can we know if it's a boy or a girl?" all was going well until his last question, which brought her back to her terrified state.

"Lucy, when are we gonna tell everyone at the guild?"

Lucy dropped her head in shame.

"What's wrong? Don't you wanna tell them?"

"I do but, I feel like I did something wrong. It's kind of embarrassing. I mean, we're only 18 Natsu. Granted there was the whole 7 year time skip but still. We're not even married! I just kind of feel a little ashamed of myself is all."

"Well, it's kinda too late for that Luce."Natsu said with an awkward laugh. When Lucy didn't respond, he continued slowly and cautiously.

"Listen. I've been in Fairy Tail for a long time and if I know one thing about them, I know that they're not the type to judge. And if anyone has a problem with it, they'll probably just blame me."He heard Lucy giggle a little and deemed it safe to continue.

"So don't worry about a thing, okay?"

Lucy sighed. "Okay, as long as we're in this together"

"Exactly, we're in this together!"

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Pretty please review and look out for the next chapter! Ja Ne!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the support so far everybody! Hope you like this chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Fairy Tail_ or any of it's characters**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Big Announcement  
**

**The Next Day**

As the young wizard couple approached the guild doors the next afternoon, they were both shaking.

"Natsu, what are you nervous about?"

"I wasn't kidding when I said they'll blame me! I probably get pummeled for hurting you or some crap like that"

"Well like you said, we're in this together" Lucy said with a sly smile.

Natsu sighed at the sudden meaning twist of his innocent promise.

"Let's just get this over with."

They walked into the guild hand in hand, which wasn't an abnormal scene now that they were dating. What was abnormal was how instead of walking straight for the bar, the mission board, or the table where Erza and Gray sat; they headed straight for the middle of the room without a word.

"Good morning Natsu, Lucy! What are you 2 up to?" said a cheerful Mirajane

"Hi Mira! We actually have an announcement for the guild" Lucy said shakily.

"Oh okay. Guys! Natsu and Lucy have an announcement!" Mira yelled across the bar. But to her dismay, not a soul turned her way.

"HEY! ALL OF YOU SHUT UP! WE GOT SOMETHIN IMPORTANT TO SAY!"Natsu yelled while jumping in the air and spewing some fire.

The guild went silent and Lucy and Mira sweat dropped.

"Take it away Lucy!" Natsu said

"um, okay." Lucy stood up on a chair and Natsu watched her cautiously while holding her hand.

"Well, I'll just get to the point. Minna, I'm pregnant. Natsu and I are having a baby."

At that, the couple closed their eyes and cringed in fear. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the guild to erupt in a loud, rowdy applause in their honor. Lucy's face turned from shock, to confusion, to pure bliss in a matter of seconds.

"Thank you everybody" Lucy said cheerfully before stepping down from the chair.

The hollering wouldn't stop as Natsu and Lucy walked to the bar. They eventually got separated as the boys pulled Natsu away. As the group walked away, Lucy heard things like "So you got her knocked up eh flame brain. Better take care of her" and "Natsu is now truly man!" She sighed and took a seat at the bar. Almost instantly, she was surrounded by most of the guild girls.

"I can't believe it Lu-chan! You're gonna be a mom?!" Levy squealed

"Congratulations Lucy! This is amazing!" Lisanna yelled.

"Lucy, I hope you're ready for this. This is a big change" Said Erza

Lucy let out another sigh. "Well, I don't really know if I am, but I gotta be."

"Don't worry Lucy! We'll all be her for you when you need us!" Mira said comfortingly.

"You guys don't know how glad I am to hear that!" Lucy responded.

"But Lu-chan, there's just one thing..."

"What is it Levy?"

Levy rested her elbow on Lucy's shoulder and gave her a smirk.

"I didn't know you and Natsu had _that_, kind of relationship"

Lucy broke out in a deep red blush "L-Levy-chan!"

"C'mon Luce, give us the deats." Cana prodded, now joining in on Levy's taunting.

"Um, well uh... What's that Natsu? You wanna go home now? No problem!"

Lucy bolted from her seat and out of the guild with Natsu in tow.

"What? What's wrong Lucy?"

"N-nothing! Nothing at all! Let's just go to my place, k?"

"Um, okay. Natsu responded.

* * *

As soon as they reached her home, Lucy collapsed on her bed. Natsu lay sprawled out on the floor and they had a peaceful moment of silence.

Natsu was the first to speak. "So Luce, when are you gonna come stay with me?"

"What?"

"Well I need to take care of you and I can't do that if you're over here, duh"

"Well that's sweet but, can't you just come here?"

"But won't it be easier for you if you go to my house. Think about it Lucy! No more rent! And that will make things a whole lot easier now that you're not going on missions."

"But Natsu I like- wait what? Who said I'm not going on missions?!"

"I did, just now. Is this baby thing messing with your head?"

"No! Natsu, I'm still gonna go on missions!"

"Oh no you're not! What if you got hurt?"

"I'm pretty sure I can handle myself!"

"I said no Lucy! I'm not gonna let you get into any danger!"

"Come on! Please Natsu! At least until next month! By then I should be chubby and I won't want to be seen in public anyway!"

Natsu sighed. "Fine. But JUST until next month. And one more thing, I get to choose which ones you go on.

"But-"

"No buts!"

Lucy growled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, look at you, getting more fatherly by the minute!" Lucy said grumpily.

"Don't I have to be?" Natsu responded

"I guess so. I still can't believe this is really happening."

"I know right? This all feels like a weird dream."

"Well we better get used to this. Time is going to fly by and next thing you know, we'll have our own little baby!" Lucy said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it's gonna be a lot of work"

"But worth it."

"We're already talking like this on day 2?" Natsu whined.

Lucy let out a little giggle. "Technically, I've been pregnant for about 25 days."

* * *

They both continued to lie in peace for hours without even noticing.

"Well I'm tired. Goodnight Luce!" Natsu said as he kissed her cheek and leapt onto the window sill.

"Wait. Stay with me tonight?" Lucy pleaded.

Natsu smirked. "I don't know Luce. Last time you asked me to stay, all of this happened"

After realizing what he meant, Lucy's face went full crimson and her blood began to boil!

"Idiot! Just get in here! You're letting in a draft!"

Natsu laughed as he got into bed with Lucy. They snuggled close and were about to fall into a peaceful sleep when...

"Ugh, Oh gosh!" Lucy screamed as she leapt out of bed and ran for the bathroom.

Natsu cringed at the sound of Lucy throwing up into the toilet.

"Are you okay?"

"Just. Fricken. PEACHY. Natsu!"

Natsu face palmed. "Well this is gonna be fun."

* * *

**So again, thank you for reading! Please review and look out for the next chapter! PEACE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so so happy about all the support this story is getting in such a short time! Thank you everyone! Please enjoy this next chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Fairy __Tail_ or any of it's characters**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Binding  
**

**5 months later**

"NATSU!" Lucy screamed across the room.

In a matter of milliseconds, Natsu was standing in attention in front of her.

"Yes Lucy!"

"Chocolate bar. Now." Lucy demanded

"That's your fourth for the morning."

"Does it look like I care?!"

"No Lucy! Coming right up Lucy!"

Now starting her 3rd trimester, Lucy was as fat and tired as hell. Yet, she still persisted to go to the guild every day.

"If I can't go on missions, then I'm at least gonna see my friends until the day I go into labor!" She told Natsu when he requested that she stay home. He had to admit it though; he preferred that she go to the guild. Not only could the other members watch over her when he was out, but they were also witnesses.

Natsu came rushing back with another large chocolate bar and handed it to Lucy.

"Natsu! You know I don't like caramel!" Lucy whined.

"Oh, really? Because the other 3 you ate were caramel and you devoured those" Natsu grumbled.

"Well I don't want it anymore!" Lucy screamed.

Natsu was starting to get irritated. "Well, what am I supposed to do?!"

All of a sudden, Lucy broke out in tears. "Why are you yelling at me? I thought you loved me!"

"No! No, no, no Luce! Of course I love you! Please don't cry!" Natsu pleaded. He could here a few snickers coming from behind him as he spoke.

"All of you shut up!" He yelled over his shoulder.

"You really mean it Natsu?" Lucy sniffled out.

"Of course I do! Now I'll go get whatever chocolate you like!" Natsu said comfortingly.

Lucy suddenly perked up. "Oh it's okay! I don't need it anymore! You can go now!"

Natsu twitched at her sudden change of mood and mind but decided to let it go.

"Okay Luce. I'll just be outside for a bit."

With that, Natsu stormed out of the guild, but not before grabbing onto Gray's shoulder and pulling him with him.

"Get over here ice block!"

As the two boys left the guild, Wendy approached Lucy.

"Um, Lucy-san, are you feeling alright?"

Lucy giggled at the young girl's comment.

"I'm perfectly fine Wendy. To tell you the truth, I'm actually handling my emotions pretty well. It's just easier to control him if I act like this!" Lucy smirked at her own evil ways.

"Don't you think that's a little mean to Natsu-san?"

"Oh, don't worry! He deserves all he gets. This is revenge for well, everything!"

Wendy sweat dropped. _How could she be so enthusiastic about tourturing him?_

* * *

As soon as they got outside, Natsu started throwing flaming punches at a nearby tree.

"Hey, what's your damage flame brain?!" Gray asked

"I can't. Take. This shit. ANYMORE!" Natsu yelled, taking a punch at the tree with each word.

"Easy there! You can't seriously be giving up this easily!" Gray teased.

Natsu sent the ice mage a death glare. "Not funny Gray! You don't know what I've been through these last few months! No more kids! No more of this shit!"

"Hey, calm down! Look, all you gotta do is get some anger out, and that tree isn't gonna be enough. Erza and I are going on a mission later today. Come with us, beat the crap out of a few guys and then come back to her."

Natsu sighed. "But who's gonna take care of her?"

"Just let Levy watch out for her for a day or two. They could have some girl bonding or whatever."

"That's actually not a crap idea."

"I think the words you're looking for are thank you."

Natsu grunted. "Yeah whatever." He grumbled as he walked back towards the guild doors.

* * *

"YOU'RE WHAT!?" Lucy screamed

Calm down Luce. It's just a short little mission. 2 days tops." Natsu said, trying to calm her down.

"You can't leave Natsu! What if I go into labor?"

"You won't for another 3 months. Anyways, at least I'll bring home some money."

"But I don't wanna be alone!"

"Trust me Luce, you won't be alone. You have everyone here and Levy said that she'd help you out."

"Yeah Lu-chan! Let Natsu go on the job. I'll be here for you!"

Lucy wasn't convinced. She let out a small helpless whimper.

Natsu smiled and touched her shoulder. "I promise I'll be back as soon as possible. Okay?"

Lucy paused for a second, as if contemplating her options.

"Fine" She finally answered.

"Yes! Thank you Lucy!" Natsu yelled. He gave her a quick kiss before running for the door where Erza and Gray stood with smiles on their faces.

"I'll be back in 2 days! Be careful!"

"I should be telling you that!" Lucy called back with a giggle.

Natsu looked back at her with a smile before leaving the guild hall.

* * *

**2 Days Later**

"Do you feel better now Natsu?" Erza asked as they walked back to the guild.

"Yeah, beating up those dark guild shit heads really took a load off."

"That's good. So now you can continue attending to Lucy."

Natsu groaned.

"You should have more respect for Lucy and what she's going through Natsu." Erza said with a serious tone.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know. But I do miss her so I'm happy to be back!"

By then, the guild was in sight so Natsu went speeding for it. Gajeel, who was sitting outside by a tree saw the pink haired teen run by and decided it would be fun to mess with him a bit.

"Hey salamander!" He called over

Natsu stopped and turned to him.

"What do you want metal head? I'm busy." He yelled over

"I just thought I would give you a warning. Your little bunny girl has been pissed as ever since you left. She's been trashing you about abandoning her and saying stuff like. "I'd be better off leaving him for someone who will take care of me!" or something like that." Gajeel said.

Natsu eyes widened at Gajeel's words. Without a response, he darted into the guild to find Lucy.

Gajeel let out a low chuckle. "Stupid salamander. That was too easy."

"Lucy! Lucy!" Natsu called through the hall.

"Oh Natsu! You're ba-"

"Lucy I"m sorry! I'm so so sorry!" Natsu cut her off. He fell to his knees right in front of her.

"Natsu why-"

"I'm sorry for leaving you! I just needed some time to calm down! Please don't be mad at me!"

"But I'm not-"

"And I'm sorry for everything I've put you through! And I'm sorry for not marrying you first but I can change that! Well sort of."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean this." Natsu reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box. He flipped it open to reveal a beautiful diamond ring with a golden band.

"I saw it in a shop window in the city where the mission was. All i could think of was you."

"Oh my gosh! Natsu!" Lucy squealed

"Marry me Luce."

Lucy began to cry tears of joy. "Yes Natsu! Yes!" She screamed. The two linked in a passionate kiss. The entire guild which had been quietly watching the scene unfold now cheered and applauded like there was no tomorrow. As the couple broke apart, Natsu slipped the ring on her right ring finger.

"Other hand idiot!" Lucy said through sniffles.

"oops, sorry." Natsu said as he fixed it.

The two embraced and Lucy leaned in to whisper into Natsu's ear.

"The only thing is, we have to get married after the baby is born. There is no way in hell that i'm gonna get married looking like this."

Natsu laughed at her remark. "Deal"

* * *

The whole guild had a spur of the moment engagement celebration and partied till dawn.

Afterwards, Lucy and Natsu walked home hand in hand. She smiled as she looked down at her ring.

_Things are changing fast, but it's all changing for the better._

**Thanks for reading! Please review and look out for the next chapter! I know I've been keeping a steady flow so far and posting one chapter per day, but i have a major test coming up so i probably won't post again until Friday. Maybe, maybe not! Anyways, that's it! Ja ne!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everybody! Sorry for the lateness but better late than never! Enjoy and sorry for any mistakes. I _really _don't feel like reading this over again to edit so please bare with me. If i read it tomorrow and find mistakes then I'll fix it.  
**

**All Goes Wrong. All Goes Right**

It was a warm, sunny morning in Magnolia. Everyone was gathered in the guild as usual. Most of the girls had grouped at the bar and were surrounding Lucy.

"It won't be long now, eh Lu-chan." Levy said gleefully.

"Yep, my doctor says I'm due in about a week. I just need to stay calm and relaxed and everything should go smoothly!" Lucy said

"Well, hate to break it to you Lucy, but this isn't really the place for peace and relaxation." Cana added

"Well it's pretty calm now."

"Well it won't last long. If I know Fairy Tail, then something should start in 3, 2, 1"

"CHILDISH PRANKS ARE NOT MAN!" Elfman screamed at Natsu and Gray. The two paid no attention to him as they literally rolled on the floor laughing.

"That does it!"

Within seconds, a huge fight between the three broke out.

Lucy face-palmed. "Well as long as tables don't start flying then I should be fine."

"Looks like you spoke to soon!" Levy shouted in fear while pointing up.

Lucy looked to the sky and froze wide-eyed as she saw a table soaring in her direction.

As it was about to make impact, she closed her eyes, but to her surprise she felt nothing. When she opened her eyes, she saw Natsu standing in front of her and a large pile of ash at his feet.

"WHAT THE HELL GRAY! YOU COULD'VE SQUASHED HER! STOP MESSIN AROUND!" he yelled

"Oh shit! Sorry Lucy!" Gray apologised

Natsu just growled in his direction before turning around

"You okay Luce? Did anything hit you? I swear I'll go kill him right now if you got hurt!"

"Natsu calm down! I'm fine! Thank you"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go do, whatever it is you do! I'll call you if I need you."

"Okay, I'll just be outside." He said. Then he leaned into her ear.

"Love you" he whispered, not wanting anyone to hear.

Lucy giggled. "Love you too! Now go on!"

Natsu smiled back at her before jogging out of the guild with Happy by his side.

That's when things started getting out of hand.

* * *

"Well, look at you Lu-chan! Being saved by prince Charming much?"

Lucy blushed. "He's just being a little more protective since i'm so close to-" She froze as hers eyes bulged.

"Are you okay Lucy?" Mira asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just felt a little weird there for a second." Lucy responded.

The girls continued on with their conversation for another 5 minutes until Lucy let out a loud gasp.

"Are you sure you're okay Lucy?" Cana asked

"Actually guys, I think it's time." Lucy responded.

"What do you mean Lucy-san?" Wendy asked.

"What I mean is that I think-"She let out another gasp. "No, I _know_ that the baby is coming NOW!"

Lucy started clenching her teeth and digging her nails into the seat of the bar stool.

"Don't listen to her! She's been waking up Natsu in the night for weeks now saying the same thing!" Happy yelled.

"Happy, I think she's serious. Just look!" Lisanna said while pointing to Lucy. She was now breathing hard and a small puddle of tears was visible in her eyes.

"We need to get her to the hospital!" Levy screamed.

"But how? We don't have any carriages here." Cana asked.

"Happy, you carry her!" Lisanna suggested

"No way! She's even heavier than usual now!"

"Damn you cat! This isn't the time for jokes! Anyways, I'm not going anywhere until Natsu gets here. Can somebody go get him?" Lucy yelled

"I'll go get him but you should go on ahead without him." Gray said calmly.

"No! I'm waiting for him no matter what!"

"But Lu-chan! You have to go!"

A fight louder than any other broke out in the guild and went on until the sound of the door slamming open echoed through.

"Hey everybody! What did I miss?"

The hostile silence in the room was broken by none other than Lucy.

"Oh, nothing much. Just the fact that I'm GOING INTO LABOUR!"

Natsu's eyes widened at her words. "Seriously?! Right now?!

"Yes! And we need to go RIGHT NOW!"

"But again, how are you getting there?" Cana added in

Natsu smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I got that covered."

He ran over to his now very confused fiancé and helped her to the door.

Lucy froze when Natsu swung open the guild doors again, revealing a large carriage waiting for her.

"Made it myself" Natsu said as he quickly helped her into it.

"Is it safe?"

"What? You don't trust me?"

"uhhhhh..."

"Don't answer that. Now let's go! Levy, hop in!"

Levy ran towards the carriage with Lucy's emergency bag in hand.

"No worries Lu-chan! I'm here to help!" She said as she took a seat next to Lucy. And with that, the three mages took off.

* * *

"You're doing great Luce! Almost there!"

"C'mon Lu-chan, just a few more pushes!"

"Ugh! Damn you Natsu! Why did you do this to me?!"

"It's too late for that now!"

"Just one more! Annndddd...!"

The sound of a baby's cries filled the room.

"Congratulations Ms. Heartfilia! You gave birth to a healthy baby girl!" The doctor said.

He cleaned the child up and gently placed her in her mother's awaiting arms before leaving the room.

"Congrats Lucy! She's so cute!"

"Thanks Levy-chan! This is amazing! She's a little miracle!" Lucy ecstatically whispered.

"I'm glad you're happy! Now I'll give you two, well three, some alone time." Levy said as she walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

"After sitting their smiling at the sleeping bundle in her arms for awhile, Lucy realized the room was silent. She turned to look at Natsu, who had been silently watching over her since the baby was born.

"Natsu?" she almost whispered.

Natsu took a deep breath before speaking "Can I hold her?"

Lucy smiled. "Of course!" She passed the baby over to Natsu and watched him as he held her close.

Natsu slowly analyzed the child. She had perfect pale skin, dark brown eyes and soft little blonde curls like her mother. Tears began to fall from his eyes and his lips curled into a smile.

"Natsu?"

"We have a daughter. And she's beautiful, just like you Luce." Natsu said through sniffles.

Lucy's smile brightened. "She's all ours. The real adventure starts here!"

Natsu raised his head to look at Lucy. "We'll make it though. We're still in it together."

"Yeah! But you know, the first step in the adventure is naming her."

Natsu laughed. "Oh yeah, almost forgot. Did you think of anything?"

"Hmm, how about Hikari?"

"Hikari? Like light?"

"Yeah! Light is kind of our thing don't you think? The light of fire, the light of the stars, the light of love."

"Yeah, I like it. Hikari it is. So how about the middle name?"

"Hm, I don't know. You choose."

"Then I choose Hono! Hikari Hono!"

"Seriouisly? Flame?"

"Why not?" Natsu whined

Lucy sighed. "Fine, if it makes you happy. At least it flows!"

"Yes! So Hikari Hono Dragneel, the soon to be strongest mage in Fairy Tail, no, in all of Fiore!"

Lucy laughed. "Again, let's take it one step at a time!"

* * *

Three days later, Natsu walked into the guild with a huge smile on his face.

"Ohayo minna! We got someone for you to meet!"

The whole guild looked over to as Lucy walked in with a sleeping Hikari in her arms.

They whole guild awed over the child and some of the couples' closer friends surrounded them!

"Congratulations you two!" Erza said

"She's so cute!" said Wendy

"She obviously got nothing from Natsu!" Gray said snidely

"What did you say Freezer freak?"

"You heard me!"

Natsu was about to comment back when he decided against it and turned around.

"Just stop." He said before turning his attention away from the ice mage and back to his daughter."

"That was very... mature of you Natsu."

"Well, being a dad changes peoples. I can-"he paused and began to sniff the air.

"Food! Hey happy! Get over here! There's a festival down the street! Let's go!"

"Aye!"

Lucy watched the two dart out of the guild and sweat dropped.

"Well, it doesn't change much."

* * *

**Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! Pretty Please review and look out for my next chapter!**


	5. Baby's First Five: Baby's First Teeth

**Hello my lovely readers! I'm back! These next few chapters are a little different then the rest but not to worry, it all makes sense. The thing is, i kind of wanted to skip a year so that Hikari could be older and interact with the others more. But, i thought that skipping the most important year of a baby's life wouldn't be my smartest idea. So i came up with a compromise. Instead of making several long and useless chapters, i will make a series of 5 mini chapter titled " Baby's First Five" (I know the title is unimportant but i gave it one anyway so don't hate) These chapters will revolve around the important milestone's in Hikari's first year. Some will be normal and some, well, only a wizard baby would deal with. And don't worry, the Nalu love will still be alive. But anyways, this series will start, well, right now. That's right, the following chapter is "Baby's First Teeth" Please enjoy! :)  
**

* * *

**4 months later**

Lucy was sitting peacefully at a table at the guild while lightly humming to a babbling Hikari who was seated in her lap.

"Daddy will be home soon." she whispered to the child.

"He's just off on a mission with Aunty Erza and Uncle Gray, but he'll be back soon. It's such a nice day. We should go to the park when he gets back. Does that sound good?"

Hikari made little, happy babbles in response.

"Yeah, we'll do that."

"Aw, you two look so sweet together!"

Lucy looked up and smiled.

"Thanks Lisanna."

"She's growing up pretty quickly."

"Yeah, it's been four months already. It seems like her teeth are starting to grow in too."

"Really?" Lisanna said as she bent her neck to try and take a peek.

"Wow! But isn't it usually the two front teeth that grow first? It looks like her canine teeth are coming."

"That's what I thought but who knows?"

"Well I'm sure it's not a problem"

Just then, the doors slammed open and Natsu, Erza and Gray came strolling in. Hikari started to squirm and make louder sounds. Natsu smiled as he walked over to the table.

"Hey Luce, Lisanna!" he exclaimed. He kissed Lucy on the cheek and took a seat next to her.

"and hey there Kari!"

He reached out to grab the child and Lucy passed her over. He played with her for awhile as Lucy and Lisanna watched admiringly.

"You're so cute with her too, Natsu! Everything about your little family is so cute. To be honest, I thought things were gonna be more hectic with you two."

"Yeah, it surprised me too. Everything has been surprisingly peaceful. Natsu's being a little more mature"

"And Lucy is being a lot less naggy."

"exac-hey!" Lucy screamed and Lisanna laughed.

"Well, keep at it guys!" she said as she got up from the table and left.

"So how was the mission?" Lucy asked.

"Way too easy. But we really raked it in! 100 000 joule each! "

"That's great! Looks like someone's getting a new toy! Isn't that right Kari?" Lucy gushed.

Kari began to laugh and squirm in response.

Natsu chuckled. "So how were things with you two?

"Oh, good. I was just showing Lisanna, you can see Kari's teeth growing out."

Natsu peered into the child's mouth and smiled "oh, cool!"

"Yeah, but it's weird. Her canine teeth are growing first."

"Really?" Natsu looked back at the child and smiled even wider than before.

"What are you so happy about?" Lucy asked.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all" Natsu responded while trying to stifle a laugh.

"Natsu?" Lucy said questioningly.

Natsu jumped up with Hikari in his arms.

"Don't worry about it Luce. Now let's go home! He yelled while bolting for the door.

"H-hey! Natsu, wait up!"

* * *

**1 week later**

"But Lucy!"

"No Natsu! This is all your fault and I won't stand for this!"

The couple's rather loud entrance to the guild turned a few heads.

"I don't see what the problem is!"

Lucy just growled and turned away.

"Good morning you two! What seems to be the problem?"

Lucy walked up to the bar and nearly shoved Hikari in Mira's face

"This is the problem!"

Mira tilted her head in confusion.

"Um, Hikari is the problem?"

"Just look."

Lucy turned the baby to face her.

"Say "ahhh" Kari!" she said in her baby-talk voice.

"aaawaawaa!" the child screamed happily.

Lucy turned Kari back to Mira. Mira gasped as she looked back at the child who had a set of fangs protruding from her gums.

"Oh my, she has something of her dad after all."

"Yeah, I'd be fine with pink hair or whatever but fangs!"

"C'mon Lucy, I think it's cool!" Natsu added in his defense.

"It's not so cool when you have to feed her like this!" Lucy growled.

Natsu took a moment to think about that, and then shuddered.

"Oh, ouch!"

By the time he recovered from the thought, Lucy was gone. He turned around to see her and Hikari heading out the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To the dentist, to get all of this fixed up"

"Wait, no! Wait Lucy! Don't!"

Natsu screamed as he ran in Lucy's direction.

Lucy also started to run and they both left the guild in frenzy.

Lisanna sighed from her seat

"So they're not perfect, but they'll make it!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Pretty please review, favourite, ect. and look out for the next chapter "Baby's First 5: Baby's First Word" Bye for now! :) **


	6. Baby's First Five: Baby's First Word

**Hey guys, I'm back! Just so you know, this chapter didn't really come out the way I planned. It's not that it's bad, it's just not my best. I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm just warning you all. On a better note, THANKYOU SO MUCH! All of you who have reviewed, favorited, followed or even just read my story, you are awesome :) I plan to give out personal thankyous during my tenth chapter extravaganza (which happens to be the first chapter after the baby's first 5 series) But for now I'd like to give a shout out to _raydark182_ and_ Sinares_. Both of these to FanFictioners really showed their support and brightened my day, so I thank them. (Ps. Sinares, you are a pretty smart chikita, reading my mind like that :P. If you don't get it, you'll see.) To all my other story fans, don't feel unloved! I love all of you! So that's enough blabbing for one chapter. Now presenting "_Baby's First 5: Baby's First Word"_**

* * *

As the light of a new day hit her face, Lucy opened her eyes and smiled.

"Good morning world" she whispered.

She sat up and stretched before looking around the only somewhat familiar room. Natsu had stayed in Lucy's apartment throughout her pregnancy but she finally agreed to move to the boy's house after Hikari was born. After a LOT of cleaning and hard work, Lucy actually came to like the place. It was much more spacious than her old apartment and would be better for the baby. Lucy looked over to her sleeping fiancé who lay next to her and smiled.

"Natsu" she said as she poked his cheek.

All she got was a groan in return.

"C'mon Natsu, wake up!" she continued to poke him in the face. All of a sudden, Natsu rose his arm and swatted Lucy's hand away hard before turning around in his sleep like nothing happened. Lucy growled under her breath.

"Way to ruin the romantic movie moment Natsu." she said as she got out of bed.

* * *

Lucy put on her light blue fuzzy slippers and crept out of the room to the nursery across the tiny hall.  
She smiled as she saw Hikari sitting up and clapping in her crib.

"Good morning my darling! Are you ready to start the day?" Hikari clapped faster and giggled in response.  
Lucy picked her up out of the crib and rested her on the changing table.

"At least you're in a good mood today, unlike daddy who's being all grumpy."

"Daaahh..."

"What was that Kari? Were you gonna say dada? C'mon! You can do it!"

Lucy encouraged.

"daaahhhh...wawawa" Hikari babbled.

Lucy sighed.

"Well, you'll get it at some point. And preferably it will be "mama" instead!"

Lucy put Hikari in to a yellow sundress with purple flowers and carried her downstairs.

* * *

"I smell bacon!" Natsu said as he walked into the the kitchen.

"Oh, so THAT wakes you up." Lucy said without making eye contact.

"Morning Luce!" Natsu said cheerily.

"Morning." Lucy said with a slightly bitter tone.

Natsu walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What's wrong? Don't be like this first thing in the morning." he whined while nuzzling his head into her neck.

"N-nothing's wrong!" Lucy said with a blush.

"Then be nice!" Natsu said as he planted kisses down her neck.

"N-Natsu! Hikari is right there!" She yelled as she pushed him away.

Natsu laughed and went to go sit at the table.

"Morning Kari!"

Kari smiled and giggled a little before turning her attention back to her rattle.

"I'm real fired up for are mission today Luce! I miss going as a full team, even if it's just a little mission."

"Yeah, I'm excited too. It's so nice of Mira to watch Kari for the day." Lucy said as she placed the food on the table.

"I just wish I didn't have to leave Kari. She should be talking soon and I really don't wanna miss her first word."

"Yeah, me either. But we could use the cash."

Just then, Happy came flying through the window and landed on Lucy's head much to her chagrin.

"Hey buddy! Where were ya?"

"I went fishing because Lucy took too long to cook!" he said cheerily.

Lucy growled. "Just get off of me."

Happy spread his wings again and flew over to Kari's high chair.

"Hey Kari! Let's go for a ride!" he wrapped his tail around the child and began to fly her around the kitchen.

"Hey fur ball! You better be careful with her or I'll skin you alive!" Lucy screeched.

After breakfast, the family of 4 left for the guild.

* * *

"Thank you so much Mira! I owe you one." Lucy said as she passed Hikari's baby bag to the barmaid.

"It's no problem Lucy! Who wouldn't wanna be around this little cutie?!"

"Well I still appreciate it."

"Are you excited for the mission?"

"Yeah. But I'm really having trouble Leaving Kari. I haven't left her, well, ever. Not only will i miss her, but I'll be really disappointed if I miss her first word."

"She hasn't done that yet? Well, to catch your train you don't need to leave for another half hour. Let's see if we can get her to say something now!"

"Okay! Let's try and make her say mama!" Lucy took a seat at one of the bar stools and placed Hikari on the counter.

"C'mon Kari, can you say "mama" for me?"

Hikari continued to babble on aimlessly. Mira decided to step in.

"You can do it Hikari! Just say mama!" she said slowly. They still got nothing.

"What are you guys doing?" said Natsu as he took a seat at the bar.

"We're trying to get Kari to talk before we leave." Said Lucy  
"Oh, let me try!" Natsu picked Kari up off the counter sat her on his lap.

"Hey Kari! Will you say "dada" for me?"

"Don't switch it up!" Lucy screamed. Natsu completely ignored her.

After many failed attempts from both Natsu and Lucy, they slumped in their seats.

"Don't let her say something so cliche. " Cana butted in.

"Then what do you suggest? And alcohol is not an option!" Lucy said.

"Why not let her say Fairy Tail?"Levy suggested.

"Or how about her own name?" said Juvia

"Or how about "Gray is the best"?" Gray joked

"Over my dead body snowflake!" Natsu yelled.

Soon the whole guild was yelling out ideas for Hikari to say.

"Wait! I have the perfect Idea!" Happy said as flew over to the family.

"What is it?" Natsu asked.

"Let's make her say fish!"

"No way Happy!" Lucy scolded.

All of a sudden, Hikari started to babble. But this time it was different, almost like she was trying to speak.

"Ha-ha-haaaa..."

"What was that girl? Keep going!" Lucy encouraged the child.

"Ha-haaaa-haap-haaappy! Happy Happy Happy!"

Both Natsu and Lucy slumped to the floor as an aura of disparity washed over them.

It was then that Erza walked into the guild. "What's going on in here?"

"Hikari just said her first word" Mira answered.

"I see" Erza looked over to Natsu and Lucy.

"Lucy, Natsu! Get up, properly congratulate your daughter and get ready to go. We need to catch the train soon!"

"Yes ma'am"

"Aye" they responded drearily.

Lucy sighed as she picked up her bag to go.

_Can't my child just have one normal milestone?_

* * *

**So there you have it! Until next time! Peace my lovelies 3  
**


	7. Baby's First Five: Baby's First Attack

**Hey guys! I'm back with my first post for the year. Sorry for the lateness but you know, the holidays. by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2013 baby :)**

** I'd like to once again thank all my readers for your support. Without it, posting wouldn't be as great because I'd lose motivation. So here's the next chapter, an addition to the baby's first five series. Hope you enjoy! and just one more side note: From reading my chapters over, I realized that characters get a little ooc at times... I'll stop beating around the bush, Natsu's not the same. How I like to see it though is that he is showing an emotional side and developing as a father. There, that sounds nice enough :P. Hope you guys agree. Now enough blabbering, ON WITH THE SHOW! **

* * *

Today was a special day at the guild. To celebrate the beginning of spring, everyone decided to have a picnic outside in the local flower garden, much to the gardeners' chagrin considering Fairy Tail's reputation for destruction. Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Charle, Erza, Happy, Natsu, Lucy and Hikari settled under a blooming sakura tree and began their meal.

"It's such a beautiful day, don't you think?" Wendy asked.

Lucy smiled. "Yeah, I love the trees!" She was sitting in the grass, wearing denim Capri pants and a peach coloured top with a big heart in the middle. She was attempting to tone down her wardrobe to a more motherly, casual look but it was slowly killing her.

"They remind me of the rainbow sakuras, like the one Natsu brought into town for me." She continued

Lucy and Wendy both looked over at Natsu, the former smiling at the memory and the latter looking very confused. Natsu just turned away slightly blushing.

"Yeah, whatever. Can we eat now?"

Lucy giggled and switched her attention to the baby in her lap.

"Do you like the trees Kari?"

"Yeah yeah yeah! Pweety mama!" Kari yelled. The now 10 month old was dressed in a bubblegum pink summer dress and white sandals with little pink hearts. Since her first word, Kari had been picking up on words fast and easily. Her progress in talking was outstanding but still needed serious work.

"Pweety Twees!" She then crawled out of her mom's lap and began to move around and explore. She had recently learned how to walk but she preferred crawling.

The meal began and everyone was enjoying themselves. But of course, the peace didn't last for long.

* * *

"Shit Gray! Look what you did!" Natsu screamed while swinging his scarf in the air.

During their current fist fight, Gray pushed him into a mud puddle, messing up his precious scarf.

"Hey, calm down! It was an accident."

"Accident my butt! You'll pay for this freezer brain! ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON!"

The fight restarted with magic, putting the park owners on edge.

"Hey! You 2 cut it out before you break something!" Lucy screamed as she ran over to the two.

Hikari and Wendy sat together watching the fight. Hikari looked up at Wendy with a huge smile on her face.

"Dada stwong!"

Wendy smiled back. "Yeah, he really is. You will be too someday."

"Weally? Me wanna try!"

Hikari got up and took a few steps away from Wendy. "WOAR OF DA FIO DWAGON!"

Wendy's eyes bulged as she watched the child shoot large bright flames from her mouth into the distance. When Hikari finished she plopped down on the floor and looked back over to Wendy.

"I do good Aunty?" she asked with a smile.

A shocked Wendy paused before speaking.

"Um, really good job Kari, but um... Natsu san! Lucy san!"

* * *

Natsu and Lucy both turned to look at the frantic sky dragon slayer.

"What's wrong Wendy?" Lucy yelled over

"Um, nothing big but could you come here please-quickly!"

"Uhhh, ok"

Natsu and Lucy walked back to where Lucy and Hikari were.

"So what happened? Did Kari do something?" Lucy asked.

"Just watch. Kari, show your mommy and daddy what you just showed me."

"M'kay! Mama Dada wook! WOAR OF DA FIO DWAGON!"

Hikari let out her attack for the second time, leaving her parents in shock. Natsu was the first to respond.

"That... was amazing Kari!" He gave the child a high five and then picked her up.

"How did you learn to do that?"

"You, dada!"

"H-her fire is a little different than your Natsu, it has a gold spiral around it." Lucy said, recovering from the shock.

"That's probably from your magic Lucy-san." Wendy said.

"So she has both our magic? I'm confused."

"Ah, don't worry about it Luce!" Natsu said excitedly.

"Natsu, this is important!" Lucy said angrily.

"What's the problem, guys?" Levy said as she approached the group cautiously.

"Kari just used dragon slayer magic but some of my magic was mixed up into it. I'm really confused about her now."

"Oh, really? Good job Kari!" Levy said enthusiastically.

Kari smiled and giggled.

"Is nobody seeing the problem here?"

"Calm down Lu-chan. I read a book on rare wizard offspring effects before. Kari's magical compilation is pretty rare because she's a mixture of a caster type and a holder 's even more rare considering that dragon slayer magic is a rare, lost art. If she was either one or the other, she would be given a raw magic power that she would need to develop into her own. But because it is a mix, she has both of your powers directly. In other words, she is currently a fire dragon slayer and a celestial spirit mage."

"Currently?"

"Yeah. Eventually, she needs to choose one or the other and when she does, the unused magic will convert into the other magic, giving her more strength in that area.

"So if she chooses to be a dragon slayer, my side of the magic turns into dragon slayer magic, and vice-versa?"

"Exactly."

"Well let's let her decide then! Kari, do you want magic like me or mama?" Natsu butted in.

"Wait! Natsu, we can't do that!"

"Why can't we? The faster she chooses, the faster we can start training her."

"But it's an important choice for her! You shouldn't rush it. Plus, she doesn't even know what my magic is."

"Well then summon a spirit and show her so we can get on with this!"

"Natsu are you even listening to me?!"

"I am but what you're saying makes no sense."

"I'm not making sense?! You're the one who's trying to rush a baby into choice that will affect her whole life!"

"But if she doesn't train then her powers could go out of control and we'll have to deal with it!"

The two continued to go back and forth, both looking angrier by the minute. Levy sighed as she walked over to where Wendy and Hikari stood.

"Jeez, those two are going at it like an old married couple, and they're not even married yet."

Levy face-palmed and Wendy sighed.

The fighting continued to go on and on, which Hikari didn't like. She stood up and walked over to her parents warily.

"Mama, Dada?"" she said quietly. It was enough to silence her parents though.

"I sowie. No yell pwease." She said between sniffles.

Lucy gave a sad smile to the child and picked her up.

"No baby, don't say sorry. It's not your fault."She said

"Yeah Kari, you didn't do anything wrong. Sorry if we hurt your feelings." Natsu added

"Me and dada won't yell anymore, okay?"

Hikari smiled. "M'kay! Yay!"

Both parents smiled at the child before turning to look at each other.

"So what are we gonna do Natsu?" Lucy whispered.

"We'll Compromise. She doesn't need to choose _right now_. Soon would be good, but we'll give her some time. Show Kari what your magic is like and she can choose when she wants to. But for now we both teach her enough to control her magic. Deal?"

"Deal"

The couple high fived and smiled at each other, earning a giggle from Kari. Their happy family moment was only interrupted by Levy and Wendy's loud awing at the scene.

"They're such a cute family!" Levy squealed

"I know! It's so sweet!" Wendy added.

Lucy rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You guys are such fan girls! Leave us alone!"

The day continued on happily and as peacefully as possible. Everyone had a good time and left with high spirits.

* * *

Natsu, Lucy and Hikari arrived home by nightfall. As Lucy took her shower, Natsu prepared Hikari for bed. He placed her down in her crib and tucked her in.

"Dada?"

"Yeah Kari?"

She waved for Natsu to come closer and he leaned his ear in closer.

"Dada, I wanna be a dwagon swayo like you. Just don't tell mama."

Natsu smiled brightly down at the child.

"That's great Kari. And don't worry, I won't tell." He placed a finger on his lips for emphasis. Kari giggled and did the same action.

"Goodnight sweetie."

"Nite dada"

Natsu left the room and closed the door behind him. Lucy was still in the shower

He went to his room and flopped down on the bed and looked up to the ceiling.

He then pumped his fist into the air while smiling

"_Take that Lucy!"_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review and look out for the next chapter!_  
_**

**Bye for now!  
**


	8. Baby's First Five: Baby's First Mission

**So hey my lovely people! I'm sooooooooooo sorry for not updating in over a month! I don't do this on purpose, but you know how life goes. But not to fret! After posting this chapter, I'll just need to write chapter 9 (The last of the Baby's first five) and then I already have chapter 10, 11 and 12 finished! So i might spread it out evenly so you don't need to wait long, or you might get a special day with a triple chapter release! So enough of my blabbering! Here is The fourth installment of Baby's First Five! Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**Baby's First Five: Baby's First Mission**

"Why did we have to come all this way just to get Kari a haircut?" Natsu complained as they walked down the streets of Magnolia.

"Because this is the best place in town, so I heard." Lucy explained cheerily, ignoring her boyfriend's misery.

"But it's on the complete other side of town."

"Just be happy that we stayed in town or else we would've had to take the train."

Natsu quickly turned a light shade of green. "Eugh trains..."

"Don't get sick just thinking about it!"

"I can't help it!"

Kari giggled at her parents' silly banter. Dressed in white pants and orange t-shirt with purple butterflies, she sat on Natsu's shoulders for the ride.

"My hair pweety now, wite dada?"

"Yeah, it's nice." He answered unenthusiastically.

Lucy sighed. "Relax Natsu. Not going to the guild for one day won't kill you. Just try to enjoy the nice day!"

The moment those words were uttered, a loud explosion was heard in the distance. Lucy quickly turned in the direction of the sound to see a large puff of smoke and ash spewing into the sky as if a bomb went off. The streets suddenly filled with panicked citizens, screaming and fleeing the scene.

"Dada, this scawy." Hikari cried.

"It's ok Kari." He answered. He swiftly grabbed a fleeing man by the collar and pulled him back.

"You, what's going on around here?!"

"P-p-please don't hurt me!" The man quivered in fear.

"I won't if you tell me what's going on!"

"The Rune Bandits! They're back in town! They've been attacking this side of town for months and they were caught recently, but they escaped!" the man said shakily.

Natsu grunted and released the man from his grip before turning to Lucy.

"Some rouge thieves are bombing up there."

"Really? I'll go check it out!"

"No Luce, wait! I'll go." Natsu said gripping her wrist.

"No, it's fine. You already have Kari with you. I'll take care of it."

"But Lucy-"

"Natsu, you're wasting time! I can handle it so let go."

Natsu reluctantly released Lucy's wrist and watched her run off to the scene.

"Where mama going?"

"She's gonna go punish some people up there for being bad."

Natsu and Kari took a seat on a nearby bench and looked out at the now barren village.

As time passed, Natsu started to grow impatient mixed. He was worried about Lucy but he couldn't go help her with Kari with him.

"Or can I..."

"What Dada?"

"Nothing Kari, but we're gonna go get mama."

"I thought she said stay here?"

"Well I say we go."

Natsu picked up Kari and ran in the direction of a small baby store down the street...

* * *

"Let me out of this stupid thing!" Lucy yelled as she banged her fists against the Rune barricade.

Three men in cloaks that covered their eyes stood before her, snickering at Lucy's predicament.

One of them stepped forward and smiled.

"Oh, you're not leaving anytime soon, Blondie."

"Yeah Princess, you should save your energy. We still got a lot of gold to pack up from here." Said another.

"Who are you guys anyway?"

"We're the Masked Rune Bandits! We've been heisting gold from small towns like this for years!"

"Nice name. Real creative. You come up with that yourselves?" Lucy snorted.

"Watch it miss or we won't let you go when we make our escape!" The third bandit spoke.

"Like you brain dead dirt bags will be able to pull this off without being caught!" Lucy snorted.

"And whose gonna stop us?"

Just then, the weak doors were blown off their hinges, landing on the other side of the building. Lucy and the three men looked over in surprise to see a flaming figure standing in the light.

"I believe that would be me, punks"

"Hey! I-It's the S-salamander!" The men exclaimed.

Natsu looked over to his girlfriend, expecting a smile of relief-but he was sadly mistaken.

"Naaatttsssuuu!" she fumed, her eyes glowing red with rage.

"H-hey Luce! I came to get you!"

"That's fine and dandy but WHERE. IS. KARI?!"

"Oh! No worries Lucy! She's right here!"

Natsu turned around to reveal a smiling Kari strapped to his back by a baby carrier.

"You brought her with you?! And where did you get that thing?!"

"I borrowed it from a shop. And of course I brought her. I can't just leave her alone in the city."

Loud laughter interrupted the couple from their dispute.

"Oh wow! We were scared for a second there. But you won't stand a chance against us with that stupid little brat on you! I've never seen something so idiotic!"

"You bastards wanna say that again?!"

Natsu quickly went back into fighting mode.

"Come at me!"one of the bandits taunted.

Natsu lit his hands and lunged at them with full force.

"NOOO!" Lucy screamed.

All of a sudden, a purple wall materialized in front of Natsu, which he rammed into head first. He fell to the ground and rubbed his head to soothe the pain.

"Damn it, what was that?"

"Wow! That was easier than we thought!" the bandits chuckled.

"That's what I was trying to tell you idiot! They set rune traps all around here. That's how they got me."

"Well that would've been a good thing to start with!"

"Well while you two are having your lovely chat, we'll be finishing here." The third cloaked man spoke.

"But don't worry Salamander. You, the brat and the princess will be let go after we escape. Then you can explain to the police how you "Fairy Tail wizards" Got fooled by a bunch of robbers." The cloaked men laughed and Natsu growled.

"Dada?" Kari whispered.

Natsu reached behind him and pulled Kari out from the carrier, resting her on the floor in front of him.

"What's da funny walls?"

"They're runes, but don't touch them cause we can't-"

Kari reached out to touch the walls, but her hand went right through.

"What?" Natsu questioned

"Wowie!" Kari exclaimed. She quickly pushed herself through the walls, onto the other side.

"Wait! Kari, no!"

"Natsu, what is she doing?!" Lucy yelled.

"Kari, come back!"

"Hey, how did the brat get out?"

"I guess because the runes don't work on babies.

"Why didn't you make them work on babies?!"

"Because I didn't think they needed too!"

"Whatever! Just grab the little runt so she doesn't cause any trouble."

The man ran over and swooped up Kari with one arm.

"Hey! I'm warning you! Put her down or I'll turn you to ash!"

"I'd like to see you try while you're stuck in there."

Kari squirmed around and whined, trying to be released.

"Dada?"

Natsu was filled with rage. He through flaming punches against his confinement but it was no use.

The man laughed and started to walk away when he heard a small voice speak.

"Misto scawy man?"

"What do you want, runt?"

"I don't wike you!"

At that, Kari sunk her teeth into the man's hand, making him cry out in pain and release her.

"Woar of da fio dwagon!" Kari sent her attack at the figure now on the floor. The attack was weak, but was somehow enough to knock him out. The runes encasing her parents disintegrated in an instant, much to their shock. Without wasting a second, Natsu and Lucy bolted to their child, Lucy picking her up and holding her protectively.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Lucy asked.

"Did you really just knock him out?" Natsu added.

"Hey! They got out! One of the other bandits shouted.

"I can see that! Now get them!" his partner yelled.

"Like hell you'll get us again! I'm all fired up!" Natsu left his family's side and charged at the criminals with full force.

"Open the gate of the maiden, VIRGO!" Lucy summoned her spirit, still holding Kari tight in her other arm.

"Is it time for punishment, Princess?"

"No! Just help please!"

Virgo went after one bandit while Natsu went after the other. They had soon got both of the criminals cornered, lying weak and beaten on the floor.

"I'll take my leave now, Princess." Lucy nodded a quick thank you before the spirit disappeared in a flash.

Natsu stood in front of the groaning bandits and scowled down at them.

"Can't you just take us to the police now?" One of them pleaded.

"Well, I would let them deal with you for your crimes against the town, but I'm not done with you yet..." Natsu responded in a tone that made both men tremble in fear.

Natsu grabbed both of them with one hand by their shirt collars and pulled them to their feet.

"This is for trapping my girlfriend!"

He gave them both a flaming punch to the head, causing them to groan in pain more.

"This is for disrespecting my daughter!" He gave them another hard punch to the gut, nearly making them collapse.

"And this..."

Natsu punched them so hard, they were knocked unconscious.

"... Is for underestimating Fairy Tail mages."

Natsu quickly tied them up with some nearby rope and made his way back to his family.

"Yay Dada!" Kari giggled.

Natsu laughed. "Yay" to you too, Kari! You're the one who saved the day!"

"Weally?"

"Yep! You did great! You'll be a really strong mage when you're older."

"But for now, let's not take risks like that anymore." Lucy scolded.

"Sowie mama..." Kari said genuinely.

Lucy couldn't help but smile down at the child.

"It's okay baby!" We're all okay now. That's what matters.

Kari was beaming and Natsu and Lucy couldn't help but smile back at her.

* * *

After the police came and arrested the bandits, Natsu, Lucy and Kari left with a special reward of 50 000 Jewel.

"We go home now?" Kari asked.

"Yeah, but since you worked hard today, let's stop for some ice cream on the way." Lucy answered.

Both Kari and Natsu went wide eyed.

"Really?!" They said in sync.

Lucy held back a giggle. "Yes really! Let's go!"

"AYE SIR!" The father-daughter pair exclaimed as they all made their way to the ice cream shop.

"_Moments like this make me wish we could stay like this forever..."_

* * *

**So there you have it! I sincerely apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors. Please favorite, follow, review and spread the word to all of your fan fiction friends! I also want to thank anyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed or even read this story already. It means a lot to me! As i think I said before, personal thank you's in the tenth chapter. Bye for now! :)**


	9. Author's Note

Hey lovelies! Sorry for not updating in awhile, like I've said before, you know how life is. Unfortunately, this too is not a proper update. There are a few things I have to say. After some research, I realized that in my story, Kari talks too much for a baby under the age of one. Now I know a lot of you probably don't give a shit but I am a perfectionist so I do. I would also like to change up the timeline of this story to help with future chapters. You'll understand what I mean later. For those two reasons, my next chapter will not really be a "baby's first five". It will turn to "baby's first four!" :P. Also, the span of those last four chapters will be until Kari is 2 years old, not one. Did that sentence make sense? I hope so. The next chapter will be about Kari's 2nd birthday. I'm sure there are easier ways of going about this but this is how I'm going to do it so I hope it doesn't bother anyone. So, to apologise for making you wait so long, getting your hopes up and then crushing them with this annoying author's note, I plan to make a double chapter release. Yeah, you heard me. This isn't some April fool's joke. You guys are getting two chapters tomorrow, with one of them being over 7000 words long! (Awsomeness level: Over 7000 :P) If I don't post, you guys have permission to hunt me down and cook me rotisserie style. Well that's all folks! See you in the next installment!


	10. Chapter 9

**So here's the next chapter as promised. Also as promised, the next chapter will be up in an hour or so. Please enjoy and sorry for any mistakes!**

* * *

**A Birthday To Remember**

"Kari! Wake up!" Natsu called out while gently shaking the sleeping child.

Hikari opened her eyes and sat up in her crib.

"Dada! She yelled with a smile.

"Morning princess! Do you remember what today is?"

The young blonde made her thinking face before nodding no.

Lucy chuckled as she walked in the doorway and stood next to her fiancé.

"Today on May 16th, you, Miss Dragneel, are 2 years old! Happy birthday!"

"Birday! Birday Birday!" Kari screamed while bouncing up and down.

Natsu brushed Kari's teeth and got her dressed while Lucy made breakfast. After pulling out dress after dress, Natsu plopped on the floor in defeat.

"These all look the same to me. You choose." He said to the bouncing toddler.

"Dat one!" She exclaimed, pointing at a bubble gum pink sundress with a big white bow.

After Natsu got dressed as well, the family of three enjoyed a pancake breakfast before heading out.

"Dada, where Happy?"

"Happy is already at the guild. So let's hurry and meet up with everyone!"

"M'kay! Mama, Dada! Swing!"

Natsu and Lucy smiled at their child's enthusiasm. They each grabbed one of Kari's hands and lifted her up in the air, swinging her back and forth as she giggled away.

* * *

**At The Guild**

With The help of her father, Kari shoved open the doors of Fairy Tail

"OHAYO MINNA!" She screamed as she stepped in.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARI!" she was greeted back by a chorus of voices.

Kari looked up in awe at the scene. The whole guild was decorated with streamers and balloons and all of Fairy Tail was gathered to celebrate.

"Wowie!"

Juvia approached Kari and put a silver coloured tiara on her head.

Here you go Hikari! Happy birthday!

"Woah! Thank you Aunty Juvia!"

Natsu and Lucy walked in behind Kari.

"Dada look! Imma weal pwincess!" Kari said gleefully with a twirl.

Natsu picked her up and turned to look at everyone in the room.

"Thanks guys. Now let's party!"

* * *

The guild partied as they usually would until Mira brought out a big cake designed with flowers that read "Happy 2nd Birthday Hikari"

"Make a wish and blow out the candles, sweetie."

Kari closed her eyes and crossed her fingers while she made her wish. After opening her eyes she took a deep breath!"

"WOAR OF DA FIO DWAGON!"

"Wait! Kari No!"

Kari's flames shot forward, setting the cake ablaze.

"Ack! Natsu!"

Natsu quickly sucked away the flames before stepping away laughing.

"Hey, calm down Luce! No harm done! Good job Kari Nice power!"

"But not enough control." Lucy grumbled.

"Ara ara, keep things festive Lucy" Mira cut in

Lucy let out a sigh.

"Yes, let's keep this as a celebration. Not to steal the spotlight from Kari but Juvia has a special announcement."

"What is it Juvia?" Mira asked

"Well actually, Juvia and Gray sama have an announcement."

With that, she had the whole guild's undivided attention.

Gray groaned and got up to stand next to Juvia. "I thought you were gonna do this tomorrow."

"Well everyone is already here and happy so I thought I'd do it today."

"Do what today?" Lucy pushed on, anxious to know the big secret.

"To tell you that, well, Juvia is pregnant!"

"EEEEEEEEEHHHHHH?!"

"What?"

"How did this happen?"

"It's Gray's child?"

"You guys aren't even dating, right?"

"What?"

Juvia jumped in shock at first from all the loud responses but she quickly laughed it off. She knew this would happen anyway, after watching Lucy go through almost the same thing.

"Yes, Juvia is dating Gray sama and it is his child."

"Since when have you two been dating?"

"We've been dating for a few months now, almost a year. We didn't want to make a big fuss over it by telling you guys." Gray said.

"But with the baby, we wouldn't be able to hide our relationship much longer." Juvia added.

"Wow, that's great! Congratulations, you two!"

"Thank you very much Lucy san! I'd love to get advice from you on pregnancy."

"Sure! Anything you need!"

"And I guess I'll be nice and give you a few pointers too ice prick!" Natsu said, elbowing Gray in the shoulder.

Gray shoved him to the side. "I don't need your help!"

"That's what you say now. But just wait for the raging hormones, quick mood swings, crazy cravings, whining, complaining and late nights of holding her hair back while she throws up. Soon you'll be crawling to me for help." Natsu said smugly.

"Don't make it sound like I was some monster!" Lucy yelled.

"Don't worry Luce. They saw it all. They already know you were a monster."

With that, Natsu got a straight kick to the face.

Everyone laughed, gave their congratulations to Juvia and Gray and continued partying away for the rest of the night.

* * *

**Back Home**

"So did you have fun Kari?" Lucy asked

"Yep! Lots!" She responded.

Natsu, Lucy and Kari were now all in Kari's room. Kari was standing in her crib, pink dress now replaced by a pair of green footy pajamas, while Natsu and Lucy stood in front of the crib.

"Do you like all your presents?" Natsu asked.

"Yep! Aunty Miwa gave me a pweety dwess. Aunty Levy gave me colour books, and aunty Wendy gave me a dolly! And-"

"And you remembered to say thank you?" Lucy asked condescendingly.

"Yes Mama"

"Good. Now, Dada and I have our own presents for you before you go to bed."

"Weally?"

"Yeah, here you go!" Lucy handed her a small pink box with a bow.

Kari lifted the lid off the box to reveal a gold coloured bracelet with key shaped charms all around it. She lifted the bracelet up and smiled.

"Pweety! Thank you Mama!"

"You're welcome sweetie. Make sure to take care of it."

Kari rapidly nodded her head to say yes. She then passed the box back to her mom to put away safely.

"Now it's my turn." Natsu said. He pulled out a medium sized red box and passed it to Kari.

She opened the box and pulled out a long tasseled scarf with a scale like pattern, almost identical to Natsu's. The only difference was that it was a light pink colour.

"Woah! It's just dada's! Thank you!" Kari squealed.

"Anything for you, Princess"

"Mama, can I wear it fowever like Dada does?"

"If you want to, just not when you sleep."

"Ok!"

"So now you'll always have a little bit of dada and I with you!" Lucy said.

Kari smiled and giggled away.

"Well, it's been a long day. Time to go to sleep!"

"Ok. Nite mama! Nite Dada!"

"Goodnight Kari." The couple responded in sync. They each kissed Kari goodnight before leving the room.

Lucy pulled in the bedroom door and then turned to look at Natsu, a smile plastered on her face. Natsu leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Mmm, what was that for?"

"No reason, I just haven't kissed you all day." Natsu responded, smiling back at his girlfriend.

"She's growing up really fast. She's already two."

"Don't talk like that. She's still our little girl."

"She won't be daddy's little princess forever, Natsu."

Natsu sighed. "Yeah, I know. So let's enjoy the time while she still is."

"Right!" Lucy said before leaning in to give Natsu a quick peck on the lips.

"Now let's get to bed, I'm so tired." She added.

And with that, another year had gone by in their parenting adventure.


	11. Chapter 10

**So here it is, a very special extra long chapter of In It Together! I'm not even going to tell you what it's about or give you a title. You'll have to read and find out! Wow, it's already the tenth chapter. I'd really like to thank all those who read, reviewed, followed and Favorited this story. It really means a lot. So without further ado, here's chapter 10! **

* * *

It was a regular day at the guild. Natsu, Lucy, Happy and Hikari walked into the guild as per usual. Happy flew off to find Charle, Hikari went to play with Asuka and Natsu and Lucy headed for the bar together. Little did they know just what they were in for. Mirajane had seemed, off, all day, but not a soul dared to ask why. She had a very negative aura surrounding her as she flowed through her daily barmaid duties. She kept her back turned to everyone as she worked, giving a boost to the icy exterior. Lucy, unfazed or simply unaware of this behaviour, cheerily took a seat at the bar.

"Hi Mira! What's up?" she said.

Mira froze completely, and didn't say a word. Natsu, who was fully aware of the negative aura, shrunk back and braced for impact. He didn't know why Mira was pissed, and he sure as hell didn't want to know. Mira finally spoke, her body still frozen.

"Good morning Lucy, Natsu." she said eerily.

"H-hey Mira." Natsu said shakily.

"I have an important question for you two."

"uhh, what is it?" Lucy said nervously, finally catching on to the situation.

"Oh, it's nothing much. I just wanted to know..." She faded out and then paused again.

After what seemed like years of suspense, she turned around swiftly, gripping the counter and shoving herself right up in Lucy's face.

"WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU TWO GONNA GET MARRIED?! I MEAN, IT'S BEEN LIKE OVER A FRICKEN YEAR SINCE YOU GOT ENGANGED! ISN'T IT ABOUT TIME YOU GOT SOME PLANS ROLLING? AT LEAST SOMETHING?!"

A wide eyed Lucy stuttered as she backed away from Mira's death glare.

"W-well I guess we haven't really had the time to. Things have been busy now that we have Kari and I guess we never really t-talked about it much."

"Well if you were having trouble planning, you could have always come to me! I'd have no problem helping!"

"W-well that would be very nice of you Mira, but we wouldn't want to cause you any trouble."

"Nonsense! I'd love to help you guys out! This is an important step for you guys and it should be perfect!" Mira's evil demeanor quickly dissolved as she offered her assistance.

She gave a cheerful smile to the couple before ducking under the counter. She came back up with an enormous book in her hands. She plopped it on the counter for Lucy to see.

"Natsu and Lucy's Wedding arrangements? What is this?"

"My personal project! My pride and joy! I've been working on this for about 4 years now!" Mira said happily.

"4 years! Me and Natsu haven't even been dating that long!"

"Oh Lucy, I knew since you joined the guild that you two were meant to be!"

Lucy was about to debate that but decided against it. Not only did she believe that to be true, but she also didn't want to get Mira angry again.

"Well, I guess I can trust you with this. Are you okay with it Natsu?"

"Yes. Mira can do whatever she wants!" he blurted out quickly, afraid that stalling would upset the take-over mage.

"Perfect! Just think of me as your super wedding planner!"

In a flash, Mira changed into a pencil skirt, white blouse and a blazer. Her hair was wrapped up in a bun and she wore fake reading glasses. She gave one last smirk in Lucy's direction before walking up towards the stage.

Lucy sweat dropped. _"I have a feeling that she gonna go overboard with this."_

* * *

"Okay team. We are all assembled here for one reason and one reason only: to make this the best wedding in history! All of you will have a job, all of you will report to me and all of you WILL complete your job under any and all circumstances NO. MATTER. WHAT. Understood?"

Everyone silently nodded.

"She's more like a drill Sergeant then a wedding planner." Lucy whispered.

She was currently seated at the back of the stage, leaning her head on Natsu's shoulder and holding Hikari in her lap as they all listened to Mira's rather strict information meeting.

"I will now distribute roles. All roles are permanent and are not open for discussion. First off is the bride, Lucy Heartfillia. The groom will be Natsu Dragneel. "

"I think they all knew that Mira." Lucy said. Mira continued on unfazed.

"The maid of honor will be Levy Mcgarden. The other bridesmaids will be Juvia Lockser, Erza Scarlet, Cana Alberona and Myself. The best man will be Gray Fullbuster. The other groomsmen will be Gajeel Redfox, Elfman Strauss, Jet and Droy."

"uh Mira, no offense but shouldn't we choose bridesmaids and groomsmen?"

"It's okay Lucy! My choices reflected who you guys are closer friends with!"

"She's got a point there. I don't have a problem with it." Natsu added.

"That's not the point." Lucy grumbled. "But you're right, continue."

Natsu swung his arm around Lucy and rubbed her shoulder.

"Just let her finish. I can't stand sitting for this long." he complained.

"Next we have Happy as ring-bearer. Lastly, the flower girl will be Hikari Dragneel."

"I help to mama?" Kari asked excitedly.

Lucy laughed. "Apparently yes sweetie."

"Next I will give out group leaders. Each leader will get an assignment and pick a group to help them complete it. They will make sure everything is done correctly and then report to me with the finished product. Decorating Team leader will be Bisca Connel. The Floral Arrangements Team Leader will be Lisanna Strauss. The team leader for wedding party's clothing will be Levy again. Any other tasks needed to be done will be taken care of by me. So get to work everybody! The wedding is this Sunday!"

"THIS SUNDAY?!" the crowd screamed.

"Well of course. They are getting married as soon as possible! Today is Tuesday so you have 5 days to complete your tasks! That should be enough time." with that, Mira happily skipped off the stage, leaving the now very nervous crowd to their own devices.

"I hope this goes smoothly." Lucy whined.

"Don't worry about it! Everything will be fine." Natsu reassured her.

* * *

**Saturday Afternoon**

"What do you mean the flowers didn't come in yet?! And what is this?! Didn't anyone ever teach you how to tie a ribbon?! Plus they go on around the chairs, not the tables! And I asked for those boxes to be OUTSIDE! HONESTLY can't you people do ANYTHING?!"

At that very moment, Lucy stepped into the guild.

Mira swiftly turned towards the sound at the door and quickly changed her expression from demonic dictator to regular cheery Mira.

"Hi Lucy! Are you well?"

"Yeah, but I think I'll be... going now." Lucy quickly went back out the door, letting it close behind her. She started heading back home with her head down.

"What happened?" Natsu asked.

Lucy held her head in her hand. "Can we elope?"

Natsu and Kari got up from their seats on the grass and jogged to catch up with Lucy.

"C'mon. It can't be that bad."

"Whatever, let's just go."

* * *

"What are you packing for?" Natsu asked as he walked into the bedroom with Happy by his side.

"Levy's coming to get me soon for my bachelorette party."

"You need to pack for that?"

"Well, I'm staying with her tonight. I'm getting ready over there too. The mystery dress and accessories they got me are all over there. "

"Why, what did I do?" Natsu whined

Lucy laughed. "Nothing, it's just that we're not supposed to see each other until the wedding. Waking up next to you kinda makes that hard.

"What kind of stupid rule is that?" Natsu flopped down on the bed.

"It's tradition, Natsu."

"All these traditions! What tradition do I get?"

"Well usually guy's would get a bachelor party and drink themselves sick but you will do no such thing. You and Kari can have some father daughter time tonight."

"But she's already asleep!"

"Well, you have Happy. Just find something to do, stay in the house and get some sleep. Gray will be here in the morning with your clothes. At least that's what Mira told me."

Natsu grunted in response.

"You know, he's gonna complain all night about how much he misses you." Happy added to Lucy

"No I'm not!" Natsu yelled, turning his back to both of them.

Lucy smiled. She patted Happy on the head before walking over to Natsu. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

"I'll miss you too! See you tomorrow! It's our big day!"

Natsu stayed unresponsive.

"I love you." Lucy tried again

"Yeah, yeah, love you too." Natsu responded.

Lucy laughed before picking up her bag and leaving the house.

Happy flopped down at the end of the bed.

"Natsu, I can't believe you're actually getting married tomorrow."

"I know. All this really happened fast."

"As long as you're happy with it then everything should be fine."

"Thanks."

"You know, you're a lot different now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're a lot more mature. The old Natsu could barely take care of himself."

"Hey!"

"But now you take care of Lucy and Kari really well. It's a good change. But with everything changing, don't forget about me..."

"Of course not buddy! You're my best pal for life!"

"Good!"

The two eventually fell asleep; Natsu sprawled out on the bed and Happy on top of his head.

* * *

"That was awesome!" Cana yelled out.

Her, along with Lucy, Levy, Erza and Juvia were now heading to Fairy Hills after their night out.

"Yeah, it's a really cool club!" Levy added.

"I don't know. It wasn't that great." Lucy said weakly.

"You didn't have fun Lucy?" Erza asked.

"She's just upset about that guy who tried to hit on her." Cana answered.

"Well he was really creepy and wouldn't leave me alone. Usually any guy that comes near me has to go through the 6 foot fire wall known as Natsu."

"No more talking about Natsu! Tonight is your last unattached night so enjoy it like you're single!" Levy said

"I'm trying but I'm not gonna go wild!"

"You should."

The group walked into Fairy Hills and walked up to Levy's room. They all changed into pajamas and sat in a circle on the floor, sipping wine.

"So, any last minute advice?" Lucy asked.

"Why are you asking us? We're all single, well, except Juvia."

"I know but still."

"Just keep calm. Everything will be fine"

"Okay. But tell me the truth you guys. Is everything okay with the wedding?"

Silence filled the room.

"It's a hot mess in there isn't it?"

They all nodded simultaneously.

Lucy put her head in her hands and whimpered.

"Now I really don't want to go through with this."

"Juvia thinks you should have faith. Mira san won't allow anything to go wrong. She's still down there working right now."

"All by herself?"

"Well, Lisanna is there helping her out."

Lucy sighed. " I guess I'll just have to trust you all and hope for the best."

"That's the spirit Lu-chan! Now you should get some rest. You don't want bags under your eyes tomorrow."

Everyone fell asleep almost instantly, accept for Lucy. She lay down facing the roof and placed her hands over her heart.

"_I guess this is it. Mama, Papa, wish me luck!"_

* * *

"Dada? Dada Dada Dada! Up Up Up!" Kari yelled as she furiously poked Natsu in the stomach.

"hnn, what?" Natsu slowly opened his eyes, so as to not let the sunlight attack him all at once.

"Dada! Huwwy up!"

Natsu finally sat up to see a very impatient Hikari seated on his legs.

"Good morning Kari."

"Mownin Dada! Where Mama?"

"She went to Aunty Levy's place. We'll see her soon though."

Hikari pouted.

"But I wanted to give mama somethin fiwst."

The child pulled a piece of paper out from behind her and passed it to Natsu.

"I draw it all by myself! That's mama, you and me!"

Natsu smiled at the crayon drawing in front of him. He handed Kari the paper back and ruffled her hair.

"Really good job Kari! I have something special for mama too so I'll make sure she gets both our presents. Now let's get you ready before Uncle Gray gets here."

Natsu hopped out of bed, woke up Happy, got both his teeth and Kari's teeth brushed and got Kari in her dress. Her dress was white and reached a little ways down her knees. It had a lavender coloured band around the middle that Natsu tied in a bow at the back. He then picked up Kari's hairbrush. He looked from the hair brush to Kari's head, then back at the hairbrush.

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Happy asked from the doorway.

"Not a clue."

"Let me do it."

"What do cats know about brushing girl's hair?"

"I know more than you. I've watched Lucy brush her hair before."

"Fine, I'm gonna go take a shower. Can you get her some breakfast too?"

"Aye sir!"

After a taking a long, cool shower, Natsu redressed and went to the kitchen to get his own breakfast. He saw Kari eating pancakes in her booster seat and Happy sitting on the table indulging in a large fish. Natsu picked up a pancake from his plate and shoved it down with a glass of water.

"Looky Dada!" Kari yelled as she frantically pointed at her hair. Her hair was loosed out of its regular pigtails, reaching about half way down her back. On top of her head was a thick, lavender head band to match the dress.

"Very nice Kari. Good job Happy."

"It wasn't hard."

Kari finished her food and Natsu set her up with some toys so he could finish getting ready. As if on cue, a knock was heard at the door.

"Hurry up flame brain! We don't have all day!"

Natsu opened the door with a grimace on his face.

"You're not coming in my house without a shirt, Popsicle."

"Oh shit! When did that happen?" Gray murmured to himself while searching for his lost clothing.

When he returned fully dressed in his suit, he shoved a box into Natsu's chest.

"What's this?"

"It's your suit. Go get ready."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Fine, then don't. We'll see how that turns out."

Natsu growled and went off to his room. He came out 15 minutes later nearly fully dressed in a gray suit and white shirt.

"Hey Gray."

"What?"

Natsu mumbled something Inaudible.

"What?"

"I said I can't..." he mumbled out the rest of the sentence.

"Can you speak up?!"

"I SAID I CAN'T TIE A TIE, OKAY!"

Gray chuckled as he got up to assist the dragon slayer.

"Shut up and just tie it!"

"You're honestly hopeless."

Gray finished tying the lavender coloured tie and stepped back.

"How come mine is different than yours?"

"That's how Mira wanted it. Groomsmen wear bow ties, Groom has a regular tie."

"And how come everything is this weird purple colour? Even Kari's dress has it."

"That's also Mira. Everything is white, purple and grey or silver."

"Oh..."

"Why so quiet? You nervous?"

"No, just thinking."

"Really? I didn't know you were capable of that."

"Watch It Gray..."

"So you are nervous."

"How would you know?"

"You don't use my name unless you're serious."

Natsu grunted and plopped down on a kitchen chair.

"Go ahead and tell me what's wrong. I don't have anything better to do."

"I just don't wanna mess up, ok?"

"Mess up? How?"

"I don't know. Anything! This is really important to Lucy. It's one of those things that girls dream about and I don't want anything to screw it up for her."

Natsu ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"Nothing will go wrong. Mira's got everything under control, and all you gotta do is show up and say I do. I'm sure Lucy will be happy with just that. She loves you. Heaven knows why but she does. And even if something goes wrong, she won't fuss over small details. She's been part of the guild long enough to know that things won't always go smoothly, so stay calm."

Natsu let that all sink in before he smiled.

"As much as I hate to say it, you're right. Thanks."

"No problem. It's all in my job. What kind of best man would I be if I didn't help you out?"

Natsu chuckled and the two fist-bumped.

"Dada?"

Natsu looked down to see Kari standing in the door way.

"Yeah, Kari?"

"We go now?"

"Uh, yeah we should go now." Natsu said with a smile. He picked the child up and placed her on his shoulders.

"Do you need anything before we go?"

"Nope!"

"Do you need to potty?"

"Nope!"

"You got your picture?"

"Yep!"

"Good. C'mon ice block! We don't have all day." Natsu mocked. He walked out of the room, with Gray following behind.

"Happy! We're going!" Natsu yelled.

"Aye!"

The group of four left the forest home and made their way to the guild.

* * *

**~Meanwhile~**

"Lu-chan... Lu-chan... Wake up, today's the day." Levy gently prodded

"nn, Natsu stop. 5 minutes."

Levy giggled.

"C'mon Lu-chan! It's gonna be a busy morning."

Lucy opened her eyes and smiled. She sat up, stretched and let out a yawn before turning to her friend.

"Morning Levy-chan."

"Good morning! You ready for today?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Where's everyone else?"

"They all went to get ready. Juvia brought you some breakfast though."

"Aww that's nice. Usually I need to make breakfast."

"Well today you get to play princess!"

"I don't know about that but ok."

Lucy picked at her eggs, toast and fruit salad as Levy raved on about the wedding dress she was yet to see. Levy paused and looked at her friend sympathetically.

"Nerves getting to you?"

"A little."

"Just relax and don't take it all so seriously. I know this means a lot but you should be able to enjoy it and take it all in."

"Yeah, I'll try." Lucy slightly brightened up, feeling a little more relief from her friend's advice.

"Now if you're done, we can start hair and makeup!"

"Yeah I'm done. Let's get this started. I miss my family already."

Levy giggled.

"And soon you'll be an even closer family, Mrs. Dragneel!"

"Hmm, Lucy Dragneel. That will take some getting used to."

"Hopefully you'll have plenty of time to get used to it."

* * *

After about an hour of styling, applying and reapplying, Levy stepped away from Lucy so she could look in the mirror.

"Woah." Lucy said

Her hair was in an up-do similar to how her mother's hair used to be. Her bangs and two curly locks on either side of her head were the only strands let free. Her makeup had a natural beauty to it. It made her brown eyes stand out and made her skin look soft and even.

"You like?" Levy asked.

"I love! How did you do this?!"

"With my raw cosmetic talent, and maybe a little magic makeup."

Lucy laughed. "Thank you so much!"

"Anytime Lu-Chan! Now on to the dress. We kept it in Erza's room because it had the most clothing space. I'll go get it."

In a flash Levy returned with the dress and Lucy's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"That is BEAUTIFUL!"

"I knew you'd love it!"

Levy helped Lucy slip into the dress. After zipping it up, Lucy turned to look in the full length mirror on the wall.

"You look amazing Lu-chan!"

The dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline. The dress was tight, complimenting her curves, until it reached her hips. From there it puffed out ball gown-style. The top part had a detailed diamond pattern on it, while the bottom had a lavender coloured floral design. At her waist was a lavender band that tied in a bow at the back like Kari's dress. The dress also had a long train to complete the bridal look.

"I honestly love you guys! This dress is so amazing!"

Just then, Erza, Juvia and Cana walked in. They were all dressed in tight lavender dresses. Their dresses had a halter v neck with the back exposed and a silver band at the waist.

"You guys look great!"

"We should be telling you that!" Erza said.

"Juvia thinks you look amazing!"

Cana simply wolf whistled in amazement.

"Thanks guys!"

"Now you go put on this jewelry while I get dressed, then we'll help you down to the guild. We have about an hour and a half."

Levy handed Lucy a box and all but Levy left the room.

"You ok Lucy?"

"Yeah, I actually feel a lot better."

* * *

With Levy dressed and Lucy accessorized, the girls left Fairy Hills. When the girls reached outside, they furiously arranged Lucy's dress so that the train wouldn't drag on the floor as yet and trip her. Just as they finished, Lucy let out a gasp.

"What's wrong?"

"My necklace popped!"

"Really? How did that happen?"

"I don't even know. It just fell down!"

"Well its okay Lucy, you look fine without it."

"Yeah, ok. We should really head down now though."

"We really should but it looks like you have visitors."

Lucy looked forward and smiled, running up the pathway was none other than Hikari, with Gray following slowly behind.

"Mama Mama Mama!"

Kari screamed as she lunged into her mother's legs and hugged her. Lucy reached down to pick her up.

"Hi Sweetie! I missed you."

"Missed you too mama." Kari's face quickly switched to a "serious" expression.

"Don't leave and no tell me again!" She said while tapping her mother's nose. Lucy laughed.

"I won't. Was your morning good?"

"Mmhmm! I have something to show you mama!"

"Really? What is it?"

"I'm pretty sure she's talking about this."

Gray had finally reached the top of the hill, and was holding a large envelope in his hand.

"Hey Gray!"

"Wow Lucy! You look amazing!"

"Thanks! Now what is this mystery present?"

Gray handed the envelope to Lucy.

"One of my duties as best man is to deliver it to you. It's from Dragon boy and squirt over here."

"Look at the paper fiwst!"

"Okay." Lucy opened up the envelope. Inside were a small box and a sheet of paper. She pulled out the paper first as to her child's demands. She smiled at the drawing and squished Kari in a tight hug.

"Thank you, baby! This is very pretty!"

Kari smiled brightly at the praise.

"You're welcome mama!"

"Now let's see what else is in here. Do you know?"

Kari nodded no.

"Dada says it's a secret."

Lucy put Kari down and reached into the envelope for the box. When she opened the box she gasped at the sight. Inside was a long silver necklace with a crystal key-shaped pendant. Lucy lifted it out of the box in awe. Under it was a note. She removed it from the box and read it to herself.

_Dear Luce,  
Here's another key for your collection. You might not need it though, because you've already opened the gate to my heart. See you down the aisle!  
Love, Natsu._

Lucy put a hand over her heart and smiled. "It's beautiful" she whispered.

"What is?" Levy asked as she walked over to where Lucy stood.

"Natsu's gift. And his note."

She outstretched the hand that held the note so Levy and Gray could see.

"Aww!" Levy gushed.

"I didn't know that hot head could be so... poetic." Gray added.

"Well now I have a necklace to wear!"

Lucy undid the clasp on the necklace and hooked it around her neck.

"Now I'm ready! Let's get going!"

Lucy began making her way down to the guild with the other girls holding onto her train and Gray running up ahead giving Kari a piggyback ride.

* * *

"Mission complete." Gray said to Natsu as he found his place in line at the altar along with Jet, Droy and Elfman.

"Thanks. What happened to Kari?"

They took her to get her in place. They're starting soon."

"Oh. Mira did a really good job. Everything looks, nice."

"Hey don't forget about us. Mira barely did any manual labour; just don't tell her I said that."

Natsu chuckled. "Maybe. Luce will love this though. Now I'm all fired up for this wedding!"

"Easy there before you set it all to flames."

Just then, everyone was silenced by the sounds of the organ playing. The bridesmaids began walking gracefully down the aisle. First was Levy, then Erza, Mira, Cana and Juvia. They all went down the aisle and turned to stand to the left of the alter, facing the crowd. Next came Happy, flying down the aisle with a pillow in his hands. Lastly came Kari who practically skipped down the aisle while throwing white petals onto the ground from her basket.

The music changed to the wedding march. Natsu walked into the middle of the alter to get a better view. His eyes locked on the stunning blonde Goddess that slowly made her way down the aisle. Everyone's heads craned to watch her. Lucy smiled as if she was walking on cloud nine. She loved the way that everything turned out and she was beyond pleased by the romantic atmosphere set up at the back of the guild, but what she was really focused on was Natsu, who was smiling back at her all the way. They both seemed to have tunnel vision; both eagerly watching at each other as they neared closer and closer. It seemed like an eternity before the two reached one another. Natsu lifted the veil from her face and took both of her hands in his. As they both looked into each other's eyes, the Priest started the ceremony.

* * *

**Mini Time Skip**

"Now the couple will exchange vows and rings" The Priest announced

Natsu cleared his throat and began "Lucy, looking at you right now, you're more beautiful than I've ever seen you before- which is hard considering that you look beautiful every day, even when you're sick, or sad, or angry at me. In this moment, I'm reminded of when we first met. For me it was love at first sight, even though I didn't know it at the time. Since then we've been the best of friends and partners. We've had so many great adventures together, more than I can count. You've cheered for me in the best of times, and been right by my side in the worst. Recently we've started a new adventure, and I've never been happier. You're smart, caring and strong even with your difficult past. Today I promise to always be by your side and to love and protect you no matter what. With this ring, I claim you as my mate."

Lucy stood still, mouth agape from shock as Natsu placed the ring on her finger. She didn't know he was capable of saying something so romantic and sweet. Tears of joy began to fall from her eyes as she shakily started her own vows.

"Natsu, you are truly my world. I can't imagine life without you. When I met you, you changed my life for the better. You made me part of a family that shows more love than I've experienced. For that I owe you my life, but that isn't the only reason that I love you. You are loyal and trustworthy caring and kind. You are always there to protect me and cheer me up. You pick me up when I'm down and push me to improve. You bring out the best in me and I hope I do the same for you. I promise to always stand by you, stay faithful, and love you forever. I promise to work hard for you and our family and protect you sometimes too. We've all had hard times and difficult pasts so it's always good to have somebody to get you through. I vow to be that somebody. With this ring, I set our future into motion, and become your love for eternity."

Natsu smiled gently at Lucy as she put the other ring on his finger. They both took a look out at their guests and sweat dropped at the sight. Most of their guild mates were not so quietly crying to themselves at the scene. Most of them had tears spraying out like hose water. Lucy sighed and turned back to face her soon to be husband.

"By the power vested in me by the Church of Magnolia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Natsu swiftly took Lucy in his arms and kissed her passionately. The crowd cheered and wolf whistled loudly. Kari quickly covered her eyes screaming out "yucky". Her parents separated and chuckled at her actions. Natsu picked her up and Lucy kissed her on the cheek. After a moment of basking in the glory, Natsu swung Hikari onto his shoulders and then literally swept Lucy off her feet, carrying her back down the aisle bridal style. Lucy blushed fiercely and squirmed in his arms as an attempt for freedom, which obviously didn't work. The bridal party followed suit in pairs. As best man and maid of honor, Levy and Gray went first. Juvia and Gajeel went second.

"No! I wanted to walk with Gray-sama!"

"Just leave him and the shrimp alone so we can get this over with." Gajeel grumbled.

"Next went Jet and Cana, followed by Droy and Erza.

"Levy-chan! Jet and Droy called out whilst crying.

Lastly went Mira and Elfman.

"Crying isn't man!" Elfman yelled

"Oh, just leave them be." Mira told her brother with a giggle.

The crowd cheered until they all left the scene. Now the party would begin.

* * *

It was one of the most amazing guild parties in history. A band was hired to play and everyone was dancing and drinking and having a great time. During dinner, Natsu and Lucy sat at an elegantly decorated table on stage. A podium and microphone were placed by the side of the stage. Master Makarov walked on stage and tapped the mic to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up brats! We all want to keep the party going, so let's have four well wishes for the couple, and then they'll have time to speak."

Levy was the first to make her speech. She teared up as she spoke of how happy she was that her best friend Lucy finally found someone she loves. Next went Juvia, who rambled on about how happy she was that she had no longer had a love rival. Next went Gray who while making a decent speech, kept making cheap shots at Natsu, which Natsu took surprisingly well.

"_I'll get him tomorrow..." _ He thought to himself.

Lastly, Wendy walked on stage with Kari at her side.

"Although I would like to send my congratulations to Natsu san and Lucy san, someone else hear would also like to say a few words"

She said with a smile. She took the mic from the stand and handed it to Kari. Kari took the mic and smiled back at everyone.

"uhh.. Hi!"

Everyone chuckled at her words.

"You want to say something to your parents Kari?" Wendy asked gently.

"Um, yes Aunty. Congwadulations mama and dada!"

The couple smiled and the audience awed at the little girl. Kari ran over to her parents and gave them a hug and a kiss on the cheek each. Then she ran back to Wendy and walked off the stage with her. Natsu and Lucy were about to get up to make their speech when Cana stumbled onto the stage, beer bottle in hand. She swiftly grabbed the mic from its stand and gave a huge drunken smile to the audience.

"You two lovebirds gotta make room for me! So, these two are married, finally. We all knew this day would come even before they did, am I right? So I'd like to wish you guys a happy life, and enjoy yourselves! And I'd like to see a little brother or sister for Kari soon! Who know, I heard you guys are staying at a hotel tonight! There could be a little one crawling around anytime soon if you know what I mean. Well that's it."

Cana walked off the stage, leaving behind a heavily blushing Lucy and a very awkward feeling Natsu.

"What is Aunty Cana talking about?" Kari asked

"Never you mind that." Mira said to the child.

Lucy and Natsu walked up to the mic hand in hand.

"Thank you all for being here with us today! It really means a lot to us!"Lucy said.

"This whole event wouldn't have been the same without you. Thank you guys for helping us put this all together and being here to celebrate with us!"

She passed the mic over to Natsu.

"Yeah, thanks to all of you who made this possible. Not just the wedding, but us being together. Without all of you, I wouldn't be who I am today. I wouldn't have had the power to save Lucy that day, and I wouldn't have ever been able to fall for her."

Loud awing was heard from the crowd.

"Along with all of you, I'd like to thank my, wife, Lucy. Wow, that sounds different. I thank you for putting up with me, being with me, and making me the luckiest, happiest guy on Earthland! I love you Luce!"

Lucy's joyous tears returned to her eyes for a second round.

"Natsu, it took Levy an hour to do my makeup!" Lucy said with a giggle while wiping her under eyes of any teardrops that would put her mascara at risk.

"I love you too."

The couple smiled at each other for a moment before returning to the real world.

"So that's enough of the sappy stuff! Let's party!" Natsu yelled.

* * *

The whole guild continued dancing and partying all night. The newlyweds had their first slow dance and cut their cake. Right before Natsu and Lucy left for the night, Mira called out to them. Hey wait you two! Lucy didn't throw her bouquet yet!"

"Oh okay!" Lucy stepped into the middle of the floor and turned her back to the clump of girls that had quickly formed.

"3,2,1!"

Lucy tossed the bouquet over her head, straight into the awaiting arms of Levy. Levy's face covered with shock. She took a quick glance at Gajeel, who was "coincidentally" looking back at her at the time. They both quickly turned away, Levy blushing a bright red and Gajeel simply grunting. Lucy laughed at their reactions before turning back to her groom and leaving the guild.

"Oh shoot! We didn't grab Kari!"

As Lucy spun around, Natsu placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Don't worry about her. Mira's gonna watch her tonight." He said with a smirk

"But- oh" Lucy said. She smiled as a light tint of pink touched her cheeks. The couple strolled off through the starlight, heading through the forest to their home where the last leg of their romantic evening would take place.


	12. Chapter 11

**What's up my lovelies! Welcome to chapter 11! So in today's chapter, I decided to play around with Lucy's character. We all know her to be the more normal and rational member of team Natsu. But today, that changes a little. With the push of one woman so trashy I almost want to puke while writing about her, our favorite celestial spirit mage gets super jealous, mega angry and hella thirsty! :P Read on to find out what happens...**

**Ps- Make sure to read the ending note. I gotta ask you guys something.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Envious Side of Love**

"Hey Natsu! Look what I got!"

Lucy said in a sing song voice. She had just walked back from the mission board to where Natsu and Kari sat with Lisanna.

"What is it Lucy?"

Lucy took the mission paper out from behind her back and handed it to Natsu.

After looking it over for 2 seconds, Natsu handed it back.

"Not interested." he said plainly.

Lucy visibly deflated.

"Come on, Natsu! It has a big reward."

"Did you two switch bodies are something? Lucy's being all hyper and Natsu's being rational." Lisanna joked

Lucy laughed at the comment while Natsu frowned.

"Very funny. Trust me, when there's a big reward involved, she gets more hyped then me. And this mission is too boring! Playing security guard at a woman's dorm? Where's the action in that?"

"It might not be a lot of fighting but we could use the money!"

"More like you could use the money."

"Please?" Lucy gave him her best puppy dog face.

Natsu struggled to find another argument. "Well, what about Kari? Can't leave her and Mira is out."

"I'll watch her." Lisanna added in nonchalantly.

Natsu quickly signaled for her to take it back but it was too late.

"See! Lisanna will help!"

Natsu growled under his breath.

"Pleeeeeeease?"

"I still don't wanna." he said and turned around.

Lucy let out a small grunt before moving to stand right behind Natsu. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to whisper something in his ear. His eyes widened as Lucy spoke.

"F-fine. We'll go!" Natsu said quickly.

He then got up and walked away swiftly, leaving the 3 girls behind.

"Mama, you and Dada going?"

"Yes sweetie but not for long. Just 3 days."

Lucy, what did you say to him?" Lisanna asked warily.

Lucy blushed and let out a hesitant laugh.

"Well, he wasn't really interested in the mission reward so I had to offer up another reward..."

"ooooh" Lisanna said awkwardly.

* * *

The next afternoon, Natsu and Lucy were heading to the dorm.

"I can't believe you talked me into walking all the way here!" Lucy complained.

"Well I can't believe you talked me into coming on this lame mission."

"Well we're already here so there's no use in complaining."

"Same to you."

Lucy sighed.

"Can we not fight?"

Natsu paused for a moment.

"Fine, sorry."

"Me too."

By then the couple had reached the dorm's entrance. Lucy knocked on the large wooden door and waited. Soon the door swung open, revealing a young woman, probably 19, with long brown hair and vibrant green eyes. She was tall, slim and busty with a bright smile and pale skin, clad only in a pink bra and panties and a purple silk robe left untied.

"May I help you two? She said cheerily.

"We're wizards from Fairy Tail. We're here about the mission you offered." Natsu answered.

"Oh, Fairy Tail wizards eh?" the girl approached Natsu and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You must be really strong." She began running her hand up and down Natsu's arm slowly. Lucy narrowed her eyes at the girl. A feeling of pure, bubbling anger and swiftly conceived in the pit of her stomach. She had never been in situation like this before and she didn't like it.

"I'm Miori Ito. What's your name?" The girl said in a flirtatious tone.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel."

"And I'm Lucy Dragneel, his teammate and wife." Lucy added in. You could tell by her tone that she was pissed. She had never seen such blatant flirting and it disgusted her. Lucy's tone didn't faze Miori at all. She didn't even look at her.

"Well it's great to have you here. I know we'll all be safe and sound while you're around." She slowly stepped away from Natsu, letting her fingers linger as long as possible.

"Well I guess I should show you around."

"Oh, we can wait until you get dressed." Lucy said. She had a smile on her face but her eyes glared daggers at Miori. Still unshaken by Lucy's behavior, Miori smiled back at Lucy.

"Good idea. I'll be right back."

Miori led them into the lobby of the building before heading up the stairs to her room. Natsu and Lucy took a seat on the lounge chairs in the lobby and waited.

"Are you okay Luce? You seem a little on edge."

Lucy froze for a second.

"_Does he not notice what's going on at all?"_

"N-nothing. It's fine."

"Okay, but tell me if there is."

Soon Miori returned in an outfit almost as revealing as the last. She wore a pair of tight, white short-shorts and a loose green crop top that slipped off one of her shoulders and left her stomach revealed. She now also had a pair of black framed glasses and her hair was brushed out neatly.

"You ready for a quick tour?" she said cheerily while clinging to Natsu's arm.

Lucy answered before Natsu could speak.

"Of course! The faster we get to work, the better!" Lucy responded, mocking Miori's sugary sweet tone. She grabbed onto Natsu's other arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. Miori showed the couple around the small dorm, all the while flirting with an oblivious Natsu.

* * *

"We have two more stops on this tour; the kitchen, where you'll meet a few residents, and your room."

The three walked into a room which was obviously the kitchen. It was large with shiny appliances and a large round table that could seat about 30. Seated around the table were 6 girls, all looking about the same age as Miori.

"These are some of the older residents of this dorm. There's Suki, Rika, Konoha, Sora, Kiko and Shion. If you have any questions while you're here, it would be best to come to me or one of these ladies."

As they were being introduced, each of the girls looked up and smiled brightly in their direction. Almost too brightly, Lucy thought. She couldn't tell if it was the eerie similarity to Miori's smile or the fact that they seemed more focused on Natsu that made her uneasy.

"And who are these lovely guests?" Rika said. She had similar features to Miori, except her hair was shorter and she didn't wear glasses.

"This is Natsu and Lucy Dragneel. They're Fairy Tail wizards here to protect us." Miori answered.

"Oh, what a lovely pair. We haven't seen a man like that around here in a while, have we Konoha?" Kiko said.

Another girl; assumedly Konoha nodded and blushed, while fluttering her eyelashes. The two looked to be twins. They both had shoulder length pick hair, caramel coloured eyes and thick green glasses. Shion, Sora and Suki-who strangely enough, appeared to be twins with tanned skin, long black hair and gray eyes-, were too engrossed in staring at Natsu with, in Lucy's perspective, lustful eyes to say anything.

"Well you three should go on with your tour. We can always chat later." Rika said libidinously as the others waved goodbye. They soon left the kitchen and headed down a narrow hallway to a small bedroom.

"This is where our guards usually stay, but since they are on vacation, you can use this space while you're here. We even changed the sheets so everything should be in order. There's one bed for you, and one for Lucy San."

"It's okay. We'll only need one." Lucy quickly said.

"But Luce, they're single beds."

"Well then we can push them together." Lucy said matter-o-factly.

"Ok, if you want."

Miori cleared her throat to regain attention.

"So let me tell you about the actual job. For the most part, it's pretty simple. If anyone in the dorm calls for a complaint or security issue, you attend to it. 12 am is our lock up time. At that point you have to lock the door by the staircase that leads to the dorm rooms with these keys."

Miori gestured to a key hook on the wall.

"Then you go outside and search the perimeter before locking the main door. That's pretty much it. It may seem like nothing much but it puts a lot of the new dorm members at peace of mind. We've never had any threats but the newbies are always scared to death. We're all part of a magic-free merchant guild and we seem to always have new members coming in."

"That sounds fine. So what do we do for the rest of the day?"

"No worries, we generally leave the guards to their own devices by day."

"Cool, thanks."

"No problem, no problem at all." she said gently.

Just when Lucy thought she could get a break from Miori's sickening pursuits on her husband, she started it up again.

"So, we leave ourselves in your capable hands." She said in a flirtatious tone. "Just ask if you need anything, anything at all"

"We will. Thanks!" Lucy butted in.

Miori scowled. "No problem" she said blandly before strutting out of the room. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong Luce?"

Lucy face palmed.

"If you can't see what's going on then I'll just leave it that way."

"Umm, okay..."

Lucy sighed. "I'm going to take a nap."

"Aye, me too."

The two squished up in one bed and snuggled together until they fell asleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Lucy sat up in bed and stretched, letting out a small yawn. She looked out the window and from the pick colour of the sky, she guessed that it was about 7 o'clock-ish.

"Natsu, wake up." She said scratchily as she prodded at the male beside her.

After a few grunts of frustration from waking up, Natsu sat up and stretched. He turned to look at Lucy and smiled.

"You look pretty in the sunset." he said with a smile.

Lucy blushed and smiled back. The romantic moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Natsu yelled. The door swung open, revealing Miori and the other girls from the kitchen standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to disturb you, but we heard a weird crash coming from the end of the hallway upstairs and we wanted to know if Lucy San could go check it out."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at the group.

"_Why me specifically?" _she thought. She got out of bed and headed to the door while mumbling curses under her breath.

"Thank you!" Miori called out in that sugary-sweet tone that Lucy had quickly learned to hate so much.

10 minutes later, Lucy stormed back down the stairs, swelling with anger.

"There wasn't even anything there! No evidence of anything suspicious! The only things suspicious around here are those lying bitches!" Lucy grumbled to herself.

Upon reaching the room, Lucy almost exploded with rage at the sight. There was Natsu, seated on the small couch in the room, surrounded by Miori and company. They were everywhere around him, clinging to him and giggling like little school girls at every word he spoke.

Natsu looked up and noticed Lucy's return.

"Hey, Luce! Was everything ok?"

Lucy didn't say a word. She just gripped the door tightly and clenched her teeth.

"Oh Lucy San! Natsu San was just telling us about some of his many adventures." Miori said. Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard to Lucy.

After a few seconds Lucy released the door frame from her death grip and took a few breaths before clearing her throat.

"Excuse me girls but could I talk to Natsu alone for a second."

The girls froze for a second before reluctantly getting up and heading to the door.

"Oh, no problem Lucy San. I hope we can talk some more later, Natsu San."

"Sure!" Natsu called out happily.

Lucy watched as Miori closed the door behind her before turning to face Natsu with an expression of seething fury.

"What the fuck was that?!" Lucy yelled, not caring to watch her language.

"What was what?" Natsu asked innocently.

"All of that! All of those girls clinging to you like a hand bag! You looked like you were running a fucking harem in here!"

"I don't get it Luce! We were just talking. What is there to be mad about?"

"What I don't get is how you're not seeing what they're doing!"

"What I see is our clients being friendly!"

"Well then you obviously need to open your eyes you dense brick!"

Lucy fumed before hopping back into bed.

"Dense brick?! What's your damage?!"

"I'm not listening anymore! She yelled before turning her back to Natsu and going to sleep.

Natsu growled and went to his respective bed to sleep. He had planned to get some dinner but surprisingly didn't feel very hungry anymore. Natsu left Lucy to sleep the rest of the evening away as he took care of locking up. After searching around the dorm and locking the front door, he returned to the room.

"Lucy, are you up?" he called gently.

He got no answer.

"Luce if you are, then please talk to me." he pleaded. Truthfully, Lucy was awake, but she wasn't in the mood to talk as yet.

Natsu sighed and headed for his bed until he heard a soft knock at the door.

"Natsu San?"

Natsu looked over to the door to see Miori peering in.

"I'm here. Did you need something?"

"Yeah. Sorry to bother you but I need some help getting something from the supply closet down the hall. It's too high for me to reach. Could you come help me?"

"Yeah, sure." Natsu headed to the door and walked out, following behind the once again scandalously dressed Miori.

Lucy was silently seething in her bed.

"Stupid Natsu! How can I trust him if he finds nothing wrong with what he's doing?" She fumed to herself. She took a few breaths to calm herself down.

"Well I guess it's not really his fault. Knowing Natsu, he probably really is too dense to see what these girls are doing. The one I don't trust is the tramp Miori. I know she's plotting something and I'm gonna go find out."

Lucy quickly swung out of bed and tiptoed to the supply closet.

* * *

**~Meanwhile~**

"So what did you want me to get from up here?" Natsu asked Miori. The two were in the closet already, but Miori stayed silent.

"Helloooooooo?" Natsu called out to Miori while waving his hand in front of her face.

"Natsu San, the truth is I really didn't need anything from in here."

"Huh?"

Miori didn't answer him, but instead pulled the door in. The two stood there in the dark alone.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked, now suspicious of the girl's behavior.

"Natsu San, could you ever see me as more than a client?" she asked as she took off her glasses and removed the clip from her hair, letting it fall gracefully down her back.

"W-what?"

"You're an amazing guy Natsu, and we could be amazing together." she stepped closer to Natsu, pushing out her chest.

"I don't know what you're-"

"you're just so sexy, I want you in me right now." Miori swiftly hopped onto Natsu, swinging her legs around his waist and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"M-Miori!?"

"Dont be shy Natsu, just enjoy the ride." Miori closed her eyes and leaned closer and closer to Natsu's lips. The two were completely unaware of Lucy's presence just outside the door. Lucy was just about to yank open the closet door and beat the crap out of both Natsu and Miori before she heard Natsu yell.

"Stop!" he screamed while shoving Miori away hard. She stumbled as she tried to regain her balance.

"If it hasn't been made clear to you as yet, Lucy and I are married! I love her and our daughter back home more than anything in this world and I'm not gonna let anything ruin our family. Man, now I see why Lucy was upset. I feel really bad now."

Lucy released the door handle and smiled.

"I don't wanna have to hurt your feelings but I'm not just gonna let you tear my marriage apart. So if you could back off and tell your friends to do the same, that would be great. "

At that, Miori put her head in her hands and began to cry loudly.

"Ehh?" Natsu took a few steps away from the girl, feeling confused.

"I knew it! I knew it wouldn't work!"

The girl said through sobs. Natsu just stood back, unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry. My intentions weren't to cause you any trouble, It's just you're such an amazing guy. I've heard so much about you in the sorcerer, and I'm a really big fan. We all are.I mean, you're the Salamander, the fire dragon slayer of Fairy Tail for crying out loud! I've always had trouble in love all my life, and boys rarely come around the dorm. I just really wanted to be with you and I guess I kinda lost it. I would understand if you want to leave now. This job was real but we can find someone else. And don't worry; we'll pay you in full."

Miori continued to sob and Natsu was holding back a blush from all the blatant praise he was receiving.

After a while, he did what he believed was the right thing to do. He swept Miori up in a friendly hug and awkwardly patted her head.

"Um, there, there. It's okay. Don't cry." Natsu said, completely unsure of what he should say.

"With love, you never know what's gonna happen. I had been friends with Lucy for a long time before I realized I had been in love with her all along. Just live your life and you'll find it one day."

"Really?" Miori asked through sniffles.

"As far as I know, that's how it goes. But then again, I'm just one guy who didn't even know when a bunch of girls were hitting on him." He said, mumbling the last part.

Miori began to sob even louder, but she was smiling. They were tears of joy.

"Thank you!" she screamed as she squeezed Natsu tighter into the hug."

"H-hey, don't worry about it. Take it easy there."

At this point, Lucy opened the door wide.

"Gahh! Lucy! T-this isn't what you think!" Natsu quickly released Miori.

"No Natsu, it's fine. I heard everything." Lucy said with a smile.

"So we're okay now?"

"We're perfect now!"

* * *

The next morning after multiple apologies, Miori insisted that Natsu and Lucy go home. The mages began their trip home with 250 000 jewel in tow.

"She's actually a nice girl. Still a crazy bitch though." Lucy spoke.

Natsu sweat dropped "Lucy..."

"What? I call it as I see it." Lucy said plainly.

Natsu sighed.

"Well, I've never seen you so jealous before. It was kinda cute." He joked.

"Ehh? I wasn't jealous!"

"You were so jealous!"

"I was not!"

"C'mon Luce, admit it!"

"Well I wasn't really jealous. Maybe just a little..." Lucy grumbled.

Natsu chuckled and swung an arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"It's okay, as long as you accept it. And again, I'm sorry."

"No it's okay. It really was my fault. I chose the mission in the first place and I should have trusted you more. You never gave me a reason not to."

"Well at least we learned from this all. You learned that you need to trust me more, and I learned to never let you pick the mission again."

"Hey!"

Natsu laughed and eventually Lucy let go and laughed too. The happy couple made their way back to the guild hand and hand to pick up their daughter that they greatly missed.

_'He might still be a dense brick, but he's mine, and I don't plan to let him go.'_

* * *

**_So here's chapter 11! Would've had it up earlier but I was having some internet issues. Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading my lovelies!_**

**_Pretty please with double rainbow sprinkles REVIEW! It truly gives me so much motivation to hear from you guys. Even the smallest review brightens my day :) _**

**_Now for what I really wanted to ask of you guys. So I have enough ideas to make this story about 20 chapters long. The thing is, I want it to be about 30 chapters long. So, I'll need your help. Is there a scenario you would like to see in this story? Have any ideas that you want to come true? Please suggest them to me through reviews or pm's. You could give full details of what you want to happen or you can just give me an idea to play around with, whatever floats your boat. And no worries, I will guarantee you guys credit by a shout out in the chapter you inspired. Thank you for your cooperation! _****_So that's it. See you next time!_**

**_Ps- In the beginning of this chapter when Lucy whispers to Natsu, she was offering up food as a reward. Get your minds out the gutter guys :P_**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hey everybody! I'm back! Again i'm sorry for taking so long to update! I do this so often i bet you guys are used to it by now! I recently got a whole bunch of review and story favourite/followers out of the blue which really made my weekend and inspired me to update soon. ****I've been uber busy so i thought i would update today on my day off. I thank you all for your support and i hope u like this chapter!**

**PS- PLEASE READ THE BOTTOM NOTE BECAUSE I ONCE AGAIN HAVE SOMETHING TO ASK OF YOU ALL!**

* * *

"Ahhh, in bed at last!" Lucy said as she flopped onto her bed, arms and legs sprawled out.

"Rough day?" Natsu asked as he took a seat at the corner of the bed to take off his shoes.

"Yep. I've been chasing Kari around the city all day. I swear that child is aging me 10 years! Next thing you know I'll be finding gray hairs!"

"Easy there Lucy. You're over reacting." Natsu commented, pulling off his scarf.

Lucy let out a sigh.

"The worst part about the day was when it started raining. Kari refused to come inside. It took me almost 20 minutes to drag her back inside. She got soaked from jumping in puddles so I had to give her a bath when we got back too. She just has way too much energy for me to handle BY MYSELF."

"What? I said I'm sorry! I thought you guys would enjoy some mother daughter time while I was fishing with Happy. You're the one who complains every time I try and bring you along."

Lucy sighed. "Well, at least I can just rest now without and interruptions."

"Mama?"

Natsu and Lucy looked towards the door at the source of the little sound.

"What's the matter Kari?" Lucy asked.

"Mama, I don't feel well." Kari answered weakly.

"Come over here." Lucy called the child over to her bed side. She put a hand on Kari's forehead to feel her temperature but immediately pulled away.

"Ow! What the?! How are you that hot?! Natsu!"

Natsu tiredly sat up and reached over the bed to pick up Kari. He placed her in his lap and put a hand to her forehead.

"Hmm, no worries Luce. This is normal."

"In what world is that normal?"

"It's just a regular cold. I get like this when I'm sick."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe my magic type I guess." Natsu shrugged.

"Is there anything else besides your fever, sweetie?" Lucy asked concerned.

"My tummy hurts and my nose is stuffy."

"Aww, baby. This is probably from playing in the rain. Natsu, what are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know. I said it's just like a regular cold."

"Well I can't take care of it. She's so warm I can't even touch her. You're gonna have to take care of her until she's better."

"Ehh? By myself?"

"What, you can't handle it?" Lucy said with a smirk.

"Pfft. Of course I can. Just watch."

"Fine, I shall spend tomorrow in peace writing my novel while you take care of Kari."

"Sure. Come on Kari. Let's get you some, um, cold water and uh, an ice pack."

Natsu picked up Kari and carried her out of the room in one arm.

Lucy sighed. "This is going to be interesting."

* * *

**The Next Morning**

"Daddy?"

Never once had Natsu felt so upset to hear his daughter's voice.

Taking care of a sick little dragon slayer wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. With all the coughing, sneezing, crying and complaining, Natsu had been up all through the night with Kari. He felt as if he had just fallen asleep in his chair when Kari started calling for him again. He opened up his eyes and looked across the room to the little pink bed where his daughter sat, staring at him.

"Morning, Princess." He said scratchily. He tried his best not to show any frustration in his voice. He knew it wasn't Kari's fault that she was sick but he couldn't help but feel a little fed up.

"Mownin Dada." Kari said in a weak, sniffly voice.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Kari nodded no.

"Not weally. I still fell icky." He said with a pout.

"Let's check your temperature." Natsu got out of his chair and walked over to Kari, placing a hand on her forehead.

"You're fever went down a little. How's your tummy?"

"It's better, but daddy, I think I'm gonna-"

Before she could finish, she threw up all over the floor.

Natsu sighed.

"Stay here, I'll get a mop."

* * *

Natsu checked the time. It was 10 am. He had been up since 8, meaning it had taken him about 2 hours to mop up Kari's room, give her a bath, get her dressed in fresh pajamas, brush both his and her teeth and finally get her back into bed. He knew Lucy would be awake soon so he would have to have everything together when she did.

"Okay, so you're fever is almost gone because of that cold bath. But you're nose is still stuffy and your stomach hurts right?"

Kari nodded.

"So then I'll go get you some breakfast. Here's some tissues. And what do we do with the tissues after we use them?"

"We put them in the bin so mama doesn't get angry." Kari responded in a sing song voice.

"Good girl." Natsu said, while ruffling her hair.

5 minutes later Natsu returned with a plate of toast and a sippy cup filled with orange juice. He passed the plate to Kari's awaiting hands and left the juice on her bedside table.

"Thank you daddy." Kari said with a smile.

"No problem sweetheart. Eat slowly so you don't throw up again. Now let me think, what do I do next?" Natsu murmured the end part to himself.

"Hmm, maybe you should take some medicine."

Natsu left the room and walked to the bathroom. He opened up the medicine cabinet and dug through tubes and jars that he classified as "Lucy's crap" before coming across a small red box.

"Children's cold medicine: for kids 3 months to 12 years. Did it expire?" Natsu flipped the box over to check the date on it.

"Nope, we're good." Natsu walked back into Kari's room just as she had finished her toast.

"Okay. Now you have to drink this." Natsu said while opening the box.

"What is it?" Kari inquired.

"It's medicine. It will make you feel better." Natsu answered while pouring the required serving of the dark red syrup into the bottle's lid. He walked over to Kari carrying the medicine.

"Drink up."

Kari took a whiff of the bottle cap's contents and swiftly turned away.

"Nu uh! The smells yucky!"

I'm sure it tastes fine. It says its cherry flavored. You like cherries, right?"

"If it's so yummy, you drink it first."  
"But I'm not sick."

"Well, that's stuff is icky. I'm not drinking it!" Kari exclaimed. Natsu tried to force her to drink it but she kept squirming away.

"Kari!"

"No!"

"Hikari! Stay still and drink it!"

"No! No! No!"

"Having issues?"

Natsu turned around to see Lucy standing in the doorway.

"N-nope! Everything's going great Luce! Hey Kari, I bet I can open my mouth wider then you!"

Kari immediately took the bait and opened up her mouth as wide as possible. Natsu quickly poured the medicine into her mouth and she surprisingly swallowed it.

"Ewww!" Kari complained.

"Natsu!" Lucy scolded.

"What? At least she drank it!"

Lucy sighed. "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Nope, I'm sure. You go write your book or whatever. I'll take care of everything."

"Achoo!" Kari let out a loud sneeze, releasing both snot and a blaze of fire.

Lucy stood with a horrified look on her face while Natsu sweat dropped.

"Starting with that."

* * *

After a long long day for Natsu, it was finally Kari's bedtime.

"Since you took more of the medicine, you should feel better in the morning. Goodnight Kari."

Natsu said before turning around and heading for the door.

"Wait, daddy!" Kari called out.

"What is it, Kari?"

"Can you tell me a bedtime story please?" She asked.

"Sure, Where does mama keep your storybooks?"

"No! Mama doesn't read me books before bed. She tells me her own stories."

"Her own stories? What are hers about?"

"Most of mama's stories are about you and her before I was born.

"Oh really. Well I can tell you about that. What do you wanna here?" Natsu asked with a smile.

"Anything!" Kari said enthusiastically.

"Well, how about I tell you how me and mama met."

Kari nodded rapidly, obviously intrigued.

"It was about 4, well, technically, 11 years ago. Me and Happy had left town to look for my dad. While we were going walking, we met this guy who was pretending to be me. This guy was a bad guy. I didn't know then, but he was using his magic to kidnap a bunch of girls. I was about to beat this guy up for being a fake, and that's when I saw your mama."

Natsu continued on with his story, unaware of his wife's presence right outside the door.

"Wow! That's so romantic!" Kari said when Natsu had finished his story.

Natsu chuckled. "What do you know about romance?"

"All that Aunty Mira and Aunty Juvia tell me." Kari said matter-o-factly, causing Natsu to laugh once again.

"But daddy, you and mama aren't like that anymore. Mama yells at you a lot, and you fight a lot too." Kari said.

"Hey, don't worry over stuff like that. Mama uses to yell at me back then too. She still does and always will." Natsu said nonchalantly.

"And when we fight, it's not a big deal. Mama's really important to me. I love her, even when she's SPYING ON US!"

"Damn you dragon senses." Lucy grumbled as she walked in the door.

Kari giggled.

"But we really are okay. This is how we've always been and probably always will be. What's important is that we both love each other and we both love you. Now I think it's time you went to bed." Lucy added.

"Aww! I don't wanna!"

"You're still sick so you need to get your rest."

"Ok." Kari said sadly. She lay down and pulled her blankets up to her shoulders.

"Night mama, night daddy."

"Goodnight sweetie."

"Night princess."

The couple left their daughter's room and headed for their own.

"I hate to admit it but you did a good job with her."

"I told you I would. So does that mean you'll take care of her tomorrow?"

"Fine, yes. I got a lot of writing done and I feel relaxed so you can go and do whatever tomorrow."

"Yes!" Natsu cheered. Lucy laughed at his over the top reaction. The two went to bed and enjoyed a restful sleep.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

"But I wanted to go out today!" Natsu complained but to no avail.

"Sorry Natsu. Your temperature is sky rocketing. You must have caught Kari's cold, being around her all day yesterday." Lucy said

"This isn't fair!" Natsu continued to whine.

"But on the bright side, Kari's all better now. I promised her we'd have a little picnic by the lake so we're gonna head out now." Lucy announced, holding back her laughter.

"Bye daddy! Feel better!" Kari said with a giggle.

"Traitor." he grumbled nearly inaudibly.

"Get some rest. We'll be back before sundown." Lucy said while heading for the door.

"Can I at least get a kiss goodbye?" Natsu pleaded.  
Lucy walked back and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Ow!" Lucy screamed before placing a hand to her now heat blistered lips.

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm sick." Natsu said through a fit of laughter.

"Well why don't I help you cool down. Lucy picked up Natsu's glass of ice water and splashed it in his face before strutting out of the room.

"Let's go Kari." she said, grabbing on to the child's hand.

Kari giggled

"_For grown-ups, mama and daddy sure are silly"_

* * *

**So did you guys like it? If so, please tell me in the form of a review :)**

**So here's what i wanted to ask you guys: (I don't even think my story is popular enough for this to work but whatever)Do i have any artists who are fans of this story? I would like to get a cover art for this story just for the heck of it! If any of you guys are interested, i will be holding a little contest i guess. nothing big or serious. I'll choose the one i like best for the cover (if i get any at all :P) The winner shall be credited and heavily praised by me in the next chapter and shall also receive a magical internet wish! :P. Here are the details:**

**-It must contain Lucy, Natsu and Kari, you may design it however you want though**

**-It should have the title of the story, again can be designed however you want **

**-although i'm not denying hand drawn work, computer art will be given an advantage in my voting, only due to the better quality of the image**

**-send all art pieces to (without spaces) "only . fanfic . life . gmail . com" with your fanfiction username attached so i can credit you!**

**-please put "My cover submission" as the subject**

**-if you need any more details or specifications, or if you have any questions, just pm me here on fanfiction!**

**-If you have a friend who's an artist, heck, get them to submit too!**

**-please only serious submissions because if i see anything weird in my email i will scream and then call the police. K?**

**- The deadline is July 1st because that's probably the next time i'll update**

**I REALLY hope to get your submissions soon!**

**Thanks for reading and see you next time! **


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello Peoples! I'm back with another chapter. But before you read, I have a little story to tell. Recently I've learned an important lesson: Never trust a friend who can't follow instructions. For the last month I've been part of an exchange program of sorts in Europe. Considering that I left my computer with all my pre-written story chapters at home, I left my story in the hands of a close friend. I called her 2 weeks ago asking her to post a chapter for me so you guys wouldn't have to wait any longer. That was my mistake. Not only did she post the wrong chapter (I wanted her to post the one you are about to read) but she decided to make her own contest with you guys! I'm not really that mad at her because it was a good idea but i'm kind of upset that she didn't ask first! What I am happy to see though is that I've already got 2 submissions! You guys love me after all. 3 I don't really want to have a contest going on but I guess I'll leave it standing considering that you guys actually took the time out to participate. To make it fair I will still take submissions but you guys honestly don't have to. Thanks for your support and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"And that's what happened. Natsu and I already made up but I'm still a little ticked about it, you know?"

"Wow. All that really happened?" Levy asked

"Yeah. Can you believe this girl would just come on to Natsu like that? I mean they only just met!" Lucy said.

After returning from her mission she decided to confide in her friend about her incident with Miori.

"Well it looks like you're gonna have to watch out before someone snatches your man!" Levy laughed.

"Not funny, Levy-chan!" Lucy growled.

"Come on! Lighten up, Lu chan!" Levy giggled.

"But seriously. You're not going to be the only one who finds Natsu attractive. Lots of people do, especially a lot of non- wizard girls. Heck, even I had a little crush on him when we were little kids. And that was before the muscles!"

Lucy frowned. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that."

Levy laughed again. "Like I said, you gotta lighten up! Who knew you were the jealous type?"

"Well, I'm sure you would get jealous if I told you I thought certain other dragon slayer was cute."

"I'm fine with that. We all know Wendy is adorable!"

"You know which one I'm talking about! What if I told you I used to have a little thing for that iron mage of yours?" Lucy said with a smirk.

Levy's laughter subdued as her face went scarlet red.

"L-Lu-chan! T-there's a difference! I know you don't really think that and besides, he and I aren't like that!" Levy squealed.

Now it was Lucy's turn to get in a laugh.

"The point is that you can't get too jealous, Lu-chan. But don't worry, I'm sure if some guy was all over you, Natsu would freak out just like you did."

"Well, he actually did this one time."

"Really? What happened?" Levy asked curiously

"well, it's a long story. It happened a long time ago too. It was back when we were still dating."

* * *

**Flashback**

Lucy sat at her desk in the room of her strawberry street apartment, eagerly trying to get some writing done and trying her best to ignore the ever distracting warm summer breeze flowing through her window.

"Come on Lucy! Just one idea! Just one little idea and then you can go outside!" she chanted to herself as she strained her mind for something to right about.

"Wait, I got it!" she screamed aloud. She quickly picked up her quill and began to write while the idea was fresh in her mind. Unfortunately, she didn't get far.

"LUCY!"

The loud scream caused Lucy to drop her pen and nearly fall off her chair. In a flash, a ball of blue came flying through her window and zipping around the room before dropping on Lucy's head.

"Hiya Lucy! Whatcha up to?"

"Happy..." The blonde growled, now seething in rage. Before she could strangle the exceed to death, another sound was heard from the window.

"Oi Lucy! Let's go out!" Natsu said happily, only to receive a furious glare in response.

"Uhh, you ok there, Luce?"

"OH, DON'T LUCE ME! WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING JUST BARGING IN HERE LIKE THAT? HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO TELL YOU TO STOP?!"

"But we just wanted to invite you out with us."

"Then why didn't you knock on the front door like normal people?! You scared me half to death AGAIN and you made me lose my concentration! Do you know how long I've been here trying to come up with something to write?"

"We're sorry, Lucy. We just wanted you to come to the festival with us." Happy added in.

"Festival?" Lucy asked

"Yeah, there's a summer festival going on tonight. That's why we came for you. Let's go get some food!" Natsu said.

"Aye!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you guys!"

"Huh? But why?" Natsu whined

"Because you really got me angry this time. As punishment, I'm not leaving here with you two."

"Luce, isn't that punishment for you too?" Natsu asked

Lucy paused to think that over before just blowing off his comment.

"Shut up! Just get out already!"

"But Luce-"

"Out!"

Both Natsu and Happy turned around and slowly headed for the door, heads drooped in sadness.

"Fine, we'll go. Love you too, Lucy." Natsu grumbled.

Just as they were about to step out of the room, Lucy let out a sigh.

"Fine, wait outside. I'll change and then we can go."

Natsu and Happy's faces instantly lit up as they ran back to Lucy and tackled her in a hug.

"Alright, alright. Get off already. I'll be down soon!"

The boys left Lucy to get ready to go.  
About 30 minutes later she came out the front door with her hair pinned up and dressed in a pink and white floral yukata.

"How do I look?"

"Whoa!" Natsu and Happy said in sync.

Lucy giggled at their reaction.

"I'll take that as a positive answer. Now let's go!"

The group of three began their trip to the festival grounds.

* * *

Natsu, Lucy and Happy were happily enjoying the festival scenery and attractions. They had walked around and played all different types of games. All of Lucy's previous anger had disappeared. After some aimless strolling, Lucy caught sight of a stand where you could catch gold fish.

"Hey, Natsu. I wanna try this!" She said, grabbing his hand and pulling him. Upon reaching the stand, Lucy paid and began fishing away.

"Lucy, if you catch one, can I eat it?" Happy asked innocently.

"Of course not, stupid cat! I'm gonna keep it!" Lucy answered angrily.

Natsu and Happy, who stood behind her as she continued to try her luck,  
we're quickly overtaken by boredom.

"Hey, do you smell that?" Natsu asked Happy.

"Yeah, what is that?"

"I don't know but it smells good! Let's go check it out!"

"Aye!" the partners disappeared in a flash, leaving Lucy behind.

"Hey guys, can we go see the firework show later-"

Lucy turned around to see she had been left behind.

"Wha? Natsu! Happy!"

She called out at them but soon realized they weren't hiding and they had truly left her.

"Now how am I supposed to find you two idiots again?" She said to herself sadly.

"Now that's just rude."

Lucy turned to the sound of the voice. Standing next to her was a tall, muscular man with pale skin, round, dark brown eyes and short, spiky brown hair.

"Huh?"

"How could a guy just get up and leave a pretty girl like you all by herself."

Lucy lightly blushed at the compliment.

"Thanks. And don't worry. It's not really that big a deal. This happens all the time with him."

"Well you really shouldn't have to put up with that. My name is Kori by the way. Kori Samara." He outstretched his hand to Lucy.

"I'm Lucy. Lucy Heartfillia." Lucy took Kori's hand and shook it.

"We'll it's nice to meet you, Lucy. I know this is pretty sudden but would you care to walk around with me for a bit?"

Lucy bit her lip and gave Kori a nervous look before looking over her shoulder.

"Or would you prefer to wait here for your friend?" Kori asked

"Well, nah. If he wanted to find me, I'm sure he'd just sniff me out."

"What?"

Lucy, realizing the strangeness of that statement but not wanting to explain, simply shook her head.

"Never mind. I'd love to walk around with you."

Little did Lucy know what she was getting into.

* * *

"So I've never seen you around here before. Are you from Magnolia?" Lucy asked. She and Kori were walking down the park trail surrounding the area of the festival. They had been having a really good conversation and were getting along well.

"No, I'm actually from outside of Fiore. I'm here for work for a few months."

"Wow, outside of Fiore?! That's pretty far!"

Yeah, it was a long trip but it was worth it. This place seems so happy and bright. And it's also home to a beautiful girl like you."

Lucy blushed and laughed awkwardly, taking a little step away from Kori.

"But now that I've gotten to know you a little, I can already tell you're not just a pretty face. You're polite, cultured, intelligent; all things I look for in a woman." he said, looking into Lucy's eyes.

"Well that's very, nice of you to say, thank you. But I'm not really all that. Anyways, I think we should head back now."

Lucy swiftly turned around to return to the festival, but before she could take a step, Kori grabbed onto her arm.

Lucy gasped as he swung her into his arms.

"Why leave now, Lucy? I thought we were just getting started." Kori said in a low, seductive tone."

"I-I'm sorry. It's just I need to go find-"

"That dead beat friend of yours? Why don't you just forget about him?"

"That dead beat you're talking about happens to be my boyfriend so I'd appreciate it if you'd let go!" Lucy said sternly.

" Really? That guy is your boyfriend? You can do so much better than that!"

"Hey! Natsu might have his moments but he's funny, sweet, and loyal and he really cares about me. Not to mention the fact that he can kick ass! Now let me go so I can find him!" Lucy was starting to get seriously angry.

"Oh please! Anything that guy can do, I can do twice as well. Now allow me to show you what a real man is like." Kori pulled Lucy in tight and leaned in to kiss her.

"No!" Let me go!" Lucy kicked Kori in the leg. The blast caused him to loosen his grip on Lucy, allowing her to squirm out of his reach.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Lucy! Lucy, where'd you go?!" Natsu screamed as he jogged around the trail.

"Any sign of her, Happy?"

"No, I can't see her anywhere!" Happy yelled down as he flew through the sky to get an Arial view.

"No! Let me go!" Natsu heard a faint scream coming from down the trail.

"That sounds like Lucy!"

"Natsu! I can see her now. She's over there by some trees with somebody!" Happy yelled, pointing forward. Natsu ran full blast in her direction, now leaving Happy behind.

* * *

**Back at Lucy**

"Oh, so you're I feisty one. Well you don't need to be like that, Lucy. Just relax and experience real love."

"I'm serious. You better back off now. I told you I already have a boyfriend!"

"Well I'm sure I can change that."

Lucy reached for her keys, having had enough of Kori's actions and hoping that Loke would scare him off a little, but to her dismay her keys weren't there.

"Crap! I must have left them at home."

Lucy stood half frozen in fear as Kori approached her. Right as he reached out to her though, he was knocked to the side. Lucy looked over in shock and relief to see Natsu with his fists raised, having punched Kori down.

"What the hell?" Kori yelled, rubbing his head while sitting on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing with my girlfriend, bastard?" Natsu yelled

"Oh, it's just this idiot. Get out of here already and leave me with the pretty lady and maybe I'll spare you for sucker punching me." Kori said while standing up and dusting off his pants

"Ha! You really think you can take me?" Natsu laughed

"Oh, I know I can. And when I'm done, Lucy and I can go enjoy ourselves alone." Kori said slyly as he snaked one of his arms around Lucy's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Why you!" Natsu lunged at Kori and gave him a hard punch to the gut. He tried to fight back but was no match for Natsu's strength in the slightest. He was almost instantly knocked to the ground.

Natsu stood in front of Lucy to guard her as he glared down at Kori

"I don't know who you think you are but nobody touches my Lucy! You better leave her alone!"

"I was just trying to help her out! A girl like her needs a man who can treat her right and not just run off and leave her alone. You don't even deserve her!" Kori yelled back.

"You think I don't know that?!"

Lucy went wide eyed at his words

"Lucy is the most amazing girl in all of Earthland for crying out loud! She's smart, pretty, funny strong, kind hearted, and she smells really good to boot!"

Lucy shocked expression turned in to a happy one. She was smiling warmly; her cheeks tinted a light pink.

"Of course I don't deserve her. But if she's willing to be with me, I'm gonna take her. Call me selfish but I'm not giving her up for anyone. Now get away from her before I really have to beat the crap out of you!"

Natsu lit his fist in bright flames and glared down at Kori.

Kori stared up at Natsu in utter shock and fear.

"Y-You're a wizard?!"

"The one and only fire dragon slayer." Natsu said with a smirk.

Within milliseconds Kori was up and running.

Natsu laughed and extinguished his hand.

"Coward"

He turned around to look at Lucy, only to find her smiling and crying at the same time.

"What's wrong Luce? Did he hurt you? I swear if he did I'll find that bastard and-"

Lucy cut him off by swiftly pulling him in by his scarf and pressing her lips to his.

When they separated they both smiled at each other but Natsu could still see tears in Lucy's eyes.

"Luce?"

"Don't ever say that, you big idiot!" she yelled

"Say what?"

"That you don't deserve me!"

"But it's true." Natsu said bashfully

"But it doesn't really matter. You're mine and no one else's."

Lucy smile got brighter and her eyes got wetter. Natsu wiped away her tears with her thumb and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips were just about to meet until everyone's favorite blue cat came flying onto the scene.

"Natsu! You left me alone and I got lost!" Happy wailed

"Sorry buddy, but this isn't really the time to-"

He was cut off by the impact of happy soaring straight into his chest.

"You're so mean, Natsu!" he cried out

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry." Natsu responded with a sigh as he patted the little exceed on the head.

Lucy laughed at the scene as she began making her way down the trail.

"Hey! Wait up!" Natsu called out when he realized how far ahead she was.

"Don't you want to see the fireworks?"

"Natsu, I'm sure they're done by now.

"Don't worry, I have an idea"

* * *

Natsu and Happy led Lucy out into an open field.

"Why are we here, Natsu?"

"Just sit down and I'll show you!"

Lucy took a seat on the grass. Natsu took a seat next to her and Happy plopped himself between them. Natsu looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. When he released his breath, it came out as little missiles of fire that exploded high up in the sky. Lucy looked up in awe at the sparks of fire as they rose and burst.

"Wow! Fireworks! Since when could you do that?"

"For awhile now. It's pretty easy." Natsu said with a smile before continuing, this time he made the sparks explode into different shapes. He made stars and hearts and even the guild symbol. Lucy continued to smile and laugh as she looked up in awe. Then Natsu got another idea. He made a large spark that exploded into a heart and then little sparks inside the heart that burst to say N + L.

Lucy turned to Natsu and giggled.

"You're so corny! But I love you anyway!" she said before claiming his lips. Natsu smiled and gently kissed her back.

Happy, who was still lying between the two, laughed at the sight.

"Theeey liiiike each other!"

* * *

**End of Flashback**

"AWWWW! That's so cute! how did you not tell me this story before?!" Levy exclaimed.

Lucy sweat dropped.

"I think you've been spending a little too much time with Mira..."

"Not fair, Lu-chan! I want a protective boyfriend too!"

"It's not always that great. And like I said there's always Ga-"

"Don't say his name out loud!" Levy squealed, squishing her hands over Lucy's mouth to muffle her words.

Lucy smiled, laughing on the inside at her friend's frantic reaction.

_"Don't worry Levy-chan. Soon you'll have someone by your side like my Natsu to protect you. Protecting those you love is a dragon slayer instinct after all!"_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review and look out for the next chapter! Next time, we'll see some Gruvia, considering that Juvia is pregnant with Gray's child!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hola peoples! I'm back with a Gruvia chapter as promised! Just 2 things before you begin reading. 1. I will be putting up the new cover for this story today. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use the amazing pictures that were sent in for me because my computer refuses to save them! My biggest apologies to those who submitted. Instead I'll just put up a piece of crappy art that I did. I'm not an artist so don't judge me. 2. If anyone is interested, I posted a timeline of this story's events on my profile. It contains the date that the chapter began and the ages of our 3 main characters. (As most of you know, Natsu's age and birthday is unknown, so i just made one up :P) Sorry for my long drabbling again! Please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was a cool, early October afternoon in Magnolia. The beginning of October usually meant a lot of change. For most it was the visual signs of the fall season beginning. For Juvia, this time was not the beginning, but the ending of her second trimester.

"Gray-sama! Where did you go?"

"I'm right here Juvia. What's wrong?" Gray said exasperatedly

"You were gone for so long! You always leave Juvia alone!"

"I was gone for 5 minutes."

"That's too long! Juvia needs her Gray-sama to take care of her! Juvia is pregnant, you know!"

"I think you've made that pretty clear." Gray said, lightly poking her now enlarged stomach.

"Wahh! Gray sama thinks Juvia is fat! Juvia isn't pretty anymore!" Juvia cried.

Gray cringed. "That's not what I said."

"So Juvia is pretty?" she asked through sniffles.

"Yes Juvia, you're pretty and you're not fat."

"Yay! Juvia loves Gray sama!" Juvia glomped Gray and nuzzled her face in his arm.

"Oh sweet Mavis somebody help me!" Gray grumbled.

"Yo, Juvia!"

Juvia awoke from her lovey-dovey daze and looked up to see Natsu standing in front of her.

"Here!" he lightly tossed a chocolate bar to Juvia. After realizing what it was, hearts popped up in her eyes.

"Chocolate! Thank you!" she yelled before releasing Gray to happily devour the sugary treat.

Gray slowly and quietly edged away from Juvia before reaching a safe distance where he could talk with Natsu.

"Thanks, I owe you one." he whispered.

"Don't worry about it. Watching you crash and burn for another 3 months will be enough pay." Natsu said with a laugh.

Gray growled. "I didn't think it was even possible for Juvia to be clingier but she proved me wrong."

"Ha! Just wait until next month. She'll hate your freaking guts!"

"I hate this! Can she just have the damn baby already!"

"I told you it's not easy. Now you get the horror I went through!"

"Daddy!"

Natsu turned to see Kari running full speed in his direction.

Natsu smiled as he picked her up, took a seat at a nearby table and rested her in his lap.

"What's up princess?"

"Nothing!" Kari replied in a sing song voice.

"Is that right?" Natsu said before tickling her, causing her to giggle.

Natsu turned to face Gray. "But it's worth it. So suck it up and be happy to help." He said while he ruffled Kari's hair. Kari laughed again

"Daddy! You're gonna mess it up!"

Gray sighed. "I know it'll be good in the end, but it's still pretty hard now."

"Well if you ever need help, big brother Natsu is always here to give advice, if you ask nicely." Natsu joked.

Gray frowned again. "Yeah, I think I'll pass, dragon breath." He said as he got up from the table.

"Hey, watch it frosty!"

Gray waved his hand dismissively as he walked away.

Natsu was calmed down by a light tug on his scarf.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"What does pregnant mean?"

"It means having a baby."

"So Aunty Juvia is having a baby?"

"Yep."

"Where is it?"

"It's in her tummy. That's why it's so big. But don't tell her that."

Kari giggled. "Can I play with the baby?"

"Yeah, I guess. After he or she is born and grows up a little, you can play with them. But that might be awhile."

"Yay! Nobody plays with me but Asuka-née, but she's doing magic now. Hey daddy, can I go train too?"

"Kari, I don't think you're ready for fighting yet. You'll need to wait a few years."

"Awwww! No fair!" Kari whined

"Well how about we go to the park instead? Then you can find someone to play with."

"Yay! Let's go! Let's go!" Kari jumped up ecstatically and grabbed her dad's hand, trying to drag him to the door."

Natsu laughed. "Hey, hold up there Kari! We gotta tell mama first!"

Juvia watched from afar as Kari dragged both of her parents out of the guild, all of them smiling and laughing.  
She looked down at herself and placed a gentle hand on her swollen stomach.

"Whether you're a boy or a girl, Mama hopes that's you're a sweet little one like Hikari-chan. Soon we'll be a happy family too."

* * *

**Next Day**

The Dragneel family was happily approaching the guild doors until Lucy caught sight of Gray pacing back and forth at the side of the building. It looked as if he was mumbling to himself angrily.

"Natsu, look." Lucy pointed over in Gray's direction.

"What? That pervert is just being a creep as usual." Natsu said nonchalantly.

"Natsu, you know that's not normal for him."

"So? It's not my problem."

"Natsu, go over there and talk to him! He's making me worried."

"If you're so worried, why don't you talk to him?"

"I wouldn't be able to help. You on the other hand, can relate to him. Now stop making excuses and just go talk to him!"

"Fine..." Natsu grumbled. He headed in Gray's direction while Lucy and Kari entered the guild.

"Yo, ice pop!" Natsu called out as he approached Gray.

"I'm not in the mood for your shit right now." He grumbled in response.

"Oh, but you are in the mood to be back here crying like a baby all day."

"You don't get it, so just shut up and back off." Gray said as he took a seat against the wall with his head in his hands."

"Stop being a drama queen. Whatever happened can't be that bad."

Natsu plopped down in front of Gray.

"So, spill."

Gray sighed."Juvia left."

"Left?"

"Yeah. She yelled at me and started crying then she packed up her stuff and left my house last night."

"Shit. What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything! I think..."

"What did you say to her before she got mad?"

"Well, I may have, hinted that, I didn't really want a kid."

Gray waited for Natsu to respond but he stayed silent. When he looked up to see his reaction, he saw that Natsu was stifling a laugh.

"What's so funny, lighter head?!"

Natsu fell over in a loud fit of laughter.

"Oh, good job snowflake! She's never coming back!"

Before Natsu could make another sound, he was punched square in the face.

"What do you mean she's not coming back?! Of course she's coming back eventually!"

"Not unless you find her and beg!"

Gray growled. It's not like I just full on said I didn't want a kid! I just said that I wasn't expecting her to get pregnant and I wasn't prepared as yet to be a dad."

Natsu laughed again.

"Ha! And you call me an idiot! If you say that to a girl, especially a pregnant one, you're basically saying "I don't care that you're suffering and carrying my kid. I don't want it and I don't want to take care of it, but I have to."

"I didn't want to say that at all! I'm gonna take responsibility. I just didn't really want to be a dad yet!"

"That's part of your problem too. Juvia is really happy to have a family with you and you're letting her down."

After Gray thought that over, he hit himself in the forehead. "Damn it, you're right. How do you know all of this anyway?"

"I have a wife and daughter. If I didn't understand girls by now, I wouldn't survive."

"True, now what do I do?"

"I already told you. Go find her and quick. While you're searching, think of the most romantic. mushy thing you can say to her. Then when you find her, get down on your knees and beg!"

"Is there a way to do this and still keep my pride?"

"Nope!" Natsu said with a laugh.

Gray sighed again.

"Fine, I get it. I'll go find her." Gray said as he stood up.

"Thanks for the help."

"Hey, I'm not doing this for you! If I didn't help, Lucy would kill me."

"Yeah, whatever." Gray said with a chuckle as he lightly punched Natsu in the arm. He dusted of his pants and with a nod of acknowledgement, he ran off.

"Oi, Gray!" Natsu yelled out before he could get too far.

"What?" Gray yelled back.

"You better not bring your sorry ass back here until you find her!"

Gray smirked and continued running.

"I won't!" he yelled back

_"Now if only I knew where she was. Wait, she's sad, right? So all I have to do is look for-"_

Gray's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of thunder. He looked up to see a single dark rain cloud hovering alone deep in a part of the forest.

_"Rain!"_

* * *

In a matter of minutes, Gray made his way through the forest to a clearing with a small river running through it. From where he stood, he could see Juvia perched on a rock, soaking wet and crying while holding her stomach.

"Juvia..." Gray said quietly.

"Who's there?" Juvia yelled, getting into a battle position.

"Don't worry, it's just me." Gray said as he walked forward into the clearing.

"Gray-sama!" she exclaimed, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. But as soon as she spoke, she got a hold of herself and swiftly turned her back to Gray.

"Just leave. Juvia doesn't want to speak to you."

Gray continued to approach Juvia.

"Come on, Juvia. How many times do I need to say sorry before you forgive me?"

"Gray-sama, you said you didn't want to have the baby. Juvia is hurt to hear that. If Gray-sama doesn't want the baby then Juvia doesn't want Gray-sama!" Juvia screamed.

"Juvia-"

"No! Juvia has always loved and cared for you but you always seem to brush her off, even now! Juvia expected to feel loved in return but all you've done is complain and now you say you don't want the baby! Juvia just wanted a happy family with you but you don't give any support! Gray-sama is just a big jerk!

"Juvia!" Gray grabbed onto her shoulders and spun her around. In shock, Juvia looked up into Gray's eyes and saw that his were filled with anger and hurt as well.

"Let me finish God dammit!" he yelled out, scaring Juvia even more.

The two locked eyes for what seemed like forever until Gray dropped his head in defeat.

"Just, please. Listen to me. Just hear me out before you say anything. Please."

Juvia slowly nodded her head yes, shock still visible in her eyes.

Gray, with his head still hung, dropped onto both of his knees and cupped Juvia's hands in his.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I made you feel neglected. I'm sorry if I didn't support you enough. I'm sorry for making you feel like I didn't want the baby. I didn't mean what I said, or at least I didn't mean it like you thought I did. I'm not going to lie to you. I wasn't planning on us having a kid so early. But that doesn't mean I don't want this one. I'm going to take responsibility for this one here. I'm going to take care of this one and you and I'm gonna have a smile on my face while doing it. So you don't have to worry about a thing. I love you and our kid, so I'm not gonna let you two down anymore. Heck, if I didn't love you then I wouldn't be here, getting soaked in your rainstorm, swallowing down my pride and begging you to come back to me. So please, just come back home."

He continued to kneel there with his head down, still holding her hands and waiting for a response. After awhile of silence, Gray couldn't take it anymore and looked back up at her. She was still crying but a bright smile was on her face and blush dusted her cheeks. She looked like she was on the verge of imploding from happiness. When Gray saw this, he smiled back at her, which really set her off.

"Gray-sama!" she screamed and leaped into his arms, throwing him off balance and causing him to fall to the ground with Juvia on top of him. She had her arms wrapped around his neck and was hugging him close.

"Juvia loves Gray-sama! So,so much!" She said through her happy tears.

Gray let out a long awaited sigh of relief. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and held her close.

"I love you too."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Please review and look forward to another chapter!**


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